by S F Bose
“So it was an antique?” Sam asked.
Justin shook his head. “He still refused to tell me.”
“Did you think he was really meeting with someone?” I asked.
“I wasn’t sure. He was definitely nervous. Then he tried to give me fifty dollars on account and that just made me angrier. I threw it in his face. I mean, if you have a million dollar payday in the afternoon that will let you pay me back thirty grand, why would you offer me a measly fifty dollars? It didn’t make sense.”
Jimmy paused again.
“Go on, Jimmy. What happened?” I asked.
Jimmy took a deep breath. “I told him that he couldn’t charm and BS me the way he had Mr. B. I told him I was tired of waiting for my money.” Then I took off my coat and suit jacket and roughed him up.”
He said it so matter-of-factly that I shot a look at Sam.
“Did he fight back?” Sam asked.
“No. He protected his face with his arms. But a punch to his gut doubled him over and I got in one or two shots to his face. I told him if he didn’t pay me the thirty grand within two weeks, I’d do the same thing to his father and mother.”
My mouth dropped open. We were quiet for a minute. Jimmy looked down at his desk.
“What did he say to that?” Sam asked.
Jimmy closed his eyes. Then he looked up. “Justin started crying like a baby. He begged me not to hurt his folks. He swore he’d have the money. So I gave him two weeks and left. That was the last time I saw him.”
“What hand did you hit him with?” asked Sam. Jimmy raised his right hand and dropped it back to the desk.
Anger flared inside of me. “Would you have?” I asked.
Jimmy looked at me. “What?”
I spoke very slowly. “Would you have beaten up his parents?”
Our eyes locked. Jimmy licked his lips. Then he said, “In my line of work, you get used to persuading people without thinking of them as human beings. You want to scare them so they’ll pay up. Would I have hurt Justin’s parents? No. I’ve met his folks and was at their home two years ago for Thanksgiving. They were both very nice to me. But I needed to put a scare into Justin and knew that would do it.”
“You said before you didn’t strong arm the gamblers. Why did you beat up Justin? You could have threatened his parents and let it go at that?” I asked.
Jimmy looked glum. “He made me so angry with that offer of fifty dollars. I felt like he was playing me for the fool. I just lost my temper.”
Sam frowned and tapped his notebook with his pen. “Justin only had twenty dollars on him.”
Jimmy’s face turned red. “I took the fifty dollars before I left.”
“Anything else?” I asked, feeling exhausted.
Jimmy shook his head. “That was it. Look, all you have to do is ask yourself this: Was Justin worth more to me alive or dead?”
I nodded. “Killing Justin would mean you’d never see your thirty grand. I get it. What I don’t get is you were hounding Justin every day for weeks and then suddenly went an entire week without trying to get in touch with him. That doesn’t make sense.”
Jimmy smiled weakly. “You don’t understand. After a final ultimatum, silence is a thousand times more effective when a guy is on the hook and the clock is ticking. Anything they imagine is far worse than anything you could say or do.”
“Why didn’t you insist on attending the meeting with Justin and the other guy,” Sam asked.
Jimmy nodded. “Good question. The ball was in Justin’s court. It was all on him. When I left the Emporium, I felt that one way or another I’d have my thirty grand in two weeks. If Justin couldn’t close the deal, then he’d have to get the money from his parents or some other way. Worst case, he could have sold some of those pricey antiques on the side. It wasn’t my problem.”
Sam asked, “Okay, do you own any guns, Jimmy?”
Jimmy stared at Sam. “Do you have a warrant?” he asked.
“We’re not cops, Jimmy. You know we don’t have a warrant.”
Jimmy shrugged. I gritted my teeth.
“Are you carrying a gun?” Sam pressed.
Dietz smiled thinly. “Yes,” he replied but didn’t offer anything more.
“What time did you leave the Emporium and where’d you go after the beating, Jimmy?” I asked.
“I left around 1:15 p.m. Back to Paulie’s. I had some work to do before a two-hour meeting with a liquor distributor representative that started at 4:00 p.m. Then we had dinner in the restaurant until 8:00 pm. After that I was circulating in the restaurant, pub, and pool room until I left around 11:00 p.m.”
I did the math. If Jimmy was telling the truth, he wasn’t at the Emporium during the estimated window for the shooting. However, he could also be lying.
“You spent the night alone?” Sam asked.
Jimmy shook his head. “No. I spent the night with the liquor distributor rep.”
We both looked at him. He smiled. “Her name is Carlie.”
I asked for her full name and telephone number.
“You’ll be discreet?” he asked. I just stared at him. “Okay, her name is Carlie Tate.” He gave me her telephone number.
“Girlfriend?” Sam asked.
“Not really. It’s on again, off again,” Jimmy said.
“Jimmy, is there anybody you can think of who could have killed Justin?” I asked.
Jimmy shrugged. “He could get pushy about land development. He thought conservation shouldn’t stand in the way of progress. Maybe he pushed a tree hugger too far. Or it could have been the buyer he met that afternoon. It could also have been a random robber. I don’t know.”
“One more question, Jimmy,” I said. “Was Justin carrying a Bible with him when you talked to him?”
Jimmy frowned and shook his head. “No, not that I remember. Justin wasn’t a religious guy. What does that have to do with this?”
I shrugged. “Just asking.”
“Was that what he was selling? A Bible?” he pressed.
“No, it relates to something else,” I replied and gave Jimmy a hard look.
As Sam and I got up to leave, Jimmy stood up too. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
Sam put his notebook in his coat pocket and slapped his Irish hat back on his head. “It doesn’t matter if we believe you. We’re just trying to help a friend. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you killed Justin.” I glance at Sam as I zipped up my parka, but I didn’t say anything. I put my notebook back in my pocket and grabbed my phone.
“Jimmy, last Saturday morning at 4:00 a.m., is there anybody who can vouch for your whereabouts?” Sam asked.
Jimmy frowned. “My whereabouts? Why?”
“Is there anybody?” Sam repeated.
“No. Saturday I was home alone sleeping. Why?”
“Do you own a motorcycle?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, a Harley.”
Sam nodded. “Have you ridden it lately?”
Jimmy followed us to the door of his office. “In this weather? Heck no. I don’t ride until the weather warms up. Are you going to tell me why you’re asking these questions?”
“Just tying up some loose ends. If you think of anything else that’s pertinent, give us a call. Thanks for talking to us,” Sam said.
“I will. Listen, wait,” Jimmy said sharply. “Close the door.” Sam closed the door he’d just opened. Sam and I turned to face him. Jimmy’s hands were together like he was praying.
In a low voice, he said, “I am asking you to do me a solid, when you have no reason to. I swear I did not kill Justin. But Mr. B can never know I loaned Justin that money.” Jimmy’s eyes darted back and forth between us.
“We have no plans to talk to Mr. B,” Sam said.
“You swear?” asked Jimmy, looking hopeful.
“I do. There’s no need to talk to him. However, unless we find the killer fast, I can’t promise the police won’t contact Mr. B. We’re ahead of the cops right now.”
Jimmy nodded.
“If there’s anything I can do to help you find the murderer, just let me know.” He was calm and even smiled.
Sam didn’t reply but held out his hand. Jimmy shook Sam’s hand and then mine. I looked down to see my hand disappear into his. I felt a tingle on the back of my neck and looked Jimmy in the eye. Despite the smile, his eyes were cold.
We left quickly. I wiped my hand on my jeans and turned off the voice recorder. I didn’t tell Jimmy about Justin’s funeral service the next day. I didn’t want him anywhere near the Winberrie Funeral home. He was no friend to Justin.
Chapter 36
It had turned much colder out and we jogged back to the Jeep. On the drive back to Mystic Grove, we discussed the interview.
“You don’t think Jimmy killed Justin?” I demanded.
Sam laughed. “I had to say that. Dietz could be a good suspect and I don’t want him to bolt. We need to get the information about Eddie and Jimmy to Newmont so he can share it with Chief Durand.”
“Why can’t we just give it to Matt directly?”
Sam shook his head. “Matt hates it when I’m on one of his cases. Sometimes it helps to use Newmont as a buffer.”
“You boys need to work things out. I think Jimmy could be our guy.”
“Really?” he asked, glancing at me.
“Yeah, just a gut feeling.”
“Let’s run through the facts,” Sam suggested.
“Okay, I don’t think Jimmy planned to murder Justin,” I said. “He went to the Emporium to get his money and felt Justin was still stringing him along. Jimmy roughed him up and then it escalated. Maybe he just wanted to scare Justin even more. After pulling his gun and threatening him, Jimmy shot him.”
“The timing is off though. He said he left at 1:15 p.m. The low end of the time of death range is 2:00 p.m.”
“Well, that’s not that far off, but Jimmy could also be lying about when he was at the Emporium. He didn’t react at all when we told him that Justin had been killed. Maybe that’s because he already knew.”
“Angela Apstead?” asked Sam.
I shrugged and looked at him as he drove. “Maybe the man she saw wasn’t the killer. It could have been a customer or someone else who got in through the back door, saw the body, and ran out of the Emporium.
Sam frowned. “I think any legitimate witness would have called the police.”
“Unless they didn’t want to get involved in a murder investigation,” I countered.
Sam shook his head. “I don’t know, Liz.” I sat back, feeling a little discouraged. Then I thought of a new scenario.
“Okay, maybe Jimmy lied and was at the Emporium later. He killed Justin, and went out the back door. Angela mistook his blond beard for a white beard. Jimmy kept walking and disappeared.”
Sam grunted. “Well, we can see if that woman confirms Jimmy’s alibi. If he wasn’t back at Paulie’s by 4:00 p.m. that would be suspect.”
“Carlie Tate.”
“Right. Carlie Tate. But I see more problems with Jimmy Dietz,” Sam said.
“What?”
“Whoever killed Justin Church must have used a silencer. Jimmy carries a handgun, but I doubt he carries a silencer with him. Sam glanced over at me and I nodded.
“Good point. What was the other problem?”
“The money. Jimmy seems like a practical guy. If he killed Justin, he would have kissed off thirty grand. I don’t think he’d do that. He beat Justin up, threatened his parents, and gave him a deadline. I think Jimmy had a plan and was sticking to it.”
“Yeah, those are both good points,” I said glumly.
“Don’t get discouraged,” Sam said. “We’ll keep following the facts to the killer.”
I nodded but still thought Jimmy was a good suspect. “He sure seems like someone who could shoot another person.”
When my cellphone rang, I jumped. Fishing it out of my pocket, I saw “Emporium” on the screen.
Hello?”
“Liz? This is Martha Church.”
“Hi Martha, how are you?”
“Fine, dear, fine,” she said. There was a pause.
“Martha? Did you find the Bible?” I asked.
Martha’s voice was hesitant. “No, not yet. But something just happened that was a bit strange. Peter thinks I’m being silly.”
“Martha, Sam is here. I’m going to put you on speakerphone.”
“Okay. Can you hear me?” she asked in a louder voice.
Sam replied, “Loud and clear, Martha. Hi there.”
“Hi Sam. We had a call from a Mr. Smith in Chicago, who said he was a private collector. He asked if we had any Bibles we’d like to sell.”
“Bibles?” I asked.
“Yes. He said he would pay top dollar and more for any Bibles we had. Any condition. Any translation. Old Testament, New Testament, or combined.”
“Is it normal to get requests like that?” I asked.
“No. We have collectors who call us for old pocket watches, Victorian jewelry, and old diaries. But rarely Bibles. Collectors also usually specialize. I’d be less surprised if someone called about a particular translation or an illustrated Bible. This was a very broad request. Afterwards I got to thinking about Justin’s death, his Bible, someone trying to burn the house down, and now this stranger called looking for Bibles. Am I being silly?” Martha asked.
“No,” I said firmly. “You’re not being silly. Did you talk to Mr. Smith or did Peter?”
“I did,” Martha replied.
“I take it you didn’t know this Mr. Smith,” Sam said.
“No, he was a stranger,” Martha replied.
“Did his voice remind you of anyone you do know?” Sam asked.
“No, not really, Sam. His voice was hard to hear, like it was muffled. However, I thought I detected an accent of some sort.”
“What kind of accent?” I asked.
“I couldn’t say,” Martha replied and sighed. “It was such a poor connection.”
“Do you have Caller ID?” I asked.
“Yes,” Martha said. “But it displayed unknown number or unknown caller, something like that.”
“Did he leave a contact number?” I asked.
“No, that was strange too. Collectors usually ask us to call them if we find something that fits their interests. This man hung up very quickly when I said we didn’t have any Bibles,” Martha replied.
Sam jumped in. “Martha, I’m glad you called. This could be related to our investigation. It might also be a coincidence. However, when you find Justin’s Bible, please call us right away. You’ll also want to hide it or put it in your office safe.”
“We will. I’m happy you don’t think I’m crazy. Thanks to both of you,” Martha said. Her voice had relaxed.
“You are the sanest person I know, Martha,” Sam said and we heard her chuckle.
“Martha, do the police know about the Bible?” I asked. There was silence on the line while she thought.
“I believe we did tell Matt about the Bible when we described how Justin had been acting. I don’t think we ever told him we were looking for it. My impression was that he didn’t think the Bible and quoting Scripture were all that important.”
“Well at least he knows about it. Have you told anyone else about the Bible?” I asked.
“We told our daughter. Then we discussed the Bible at lunch with your mom, Ben, and Abbie,” Martha replied. I leaned forward in my seat and covered my eyes with my right hand.
Sam said, “Okay, Martha. Thanks for letting us know. Stay in touch.”
“I will,” Martha replied. I disconnected the call and cast a look at Sam.
“Everyone in the Village probably knows about that Bible,” I said and he nodded.
***
By the time we got back to the office, Sam had reconsidered and agreed we should talk to Matt directly. We went to Sam’s office and he dialed Matt’s number. Then he put the call on speakerphone. I dug through my bag for my notebook.
�
�Hey Matt,” Sam said. “I’m here with Liz. You’re on speakerphone.”
“Hi Matty,” I said.
“Hi guys, what’s up?” Matt asked.
“We have news,” I replied.
He grunted. “I’m all ears. Wait. I have Newmont here. I’m putting you on speaker too.”
“Howdy,” Newmont said in his slow drawl.
“Hey Newmont,” Sam replied.
Sam relayed most of what we’d learned from Eddie Klein. Then he said a fictitious confidential source had filled us in about Mr. B’s gambling enterprise. We exchanged smiles. Sam was holding up his end of the bargain to protect Eddie.
“Any change Eddie Klein could be connected to Justin’s murder?” Matt asked.
Sam and I simultaneously said, “No!”
“He was really broken up about the news of Justin’s murder. They seemed to be good friends,” Sam added and I nodded.
“Okay, we’ll interview Klein later then. We’ll focus on Jimmy Dietz first,” Matt replied.
“One thing, Matt. In order to get Jimmy to talk, we told a white lie. We said we’d seen a journal on Justin’s computer, where he documented Mr. B’s gambling system. Jimmy thinks you guys sent the computer to Madison. I also told him we didn’t share what was on the computer with the police,” Sam said.
We heard Matt groan. “Someday I want to be a PI so I can lie to suspects in order to get information from them.”
“Had to do it, Matt. No way was I going to jeopardize our source. We needed to let Jimmy know we were up to speed on Mr. B’s real business, so he wouldn’t lie to us and waste our time. It worked too,” he said, winking at me. I smiled. Sam was protecting me again, since the lie about Justin’s computer had been my idea. But I was too tired to argue.
“Okay,” Matt said. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t know these things. Anything else?”
I explained how Jimmy had vouched for Eddie and Justin a year ago. Then I detailed Justin’s gambling losses, Mr. B’s loans, and the eventual thirty grand debt.
“Last summer into early autumn, Justin was spiraling downhill. Then in late October to early November, he was happy again and placing small bets with Mr. B.,” I said.
“Justin paid off his debt?” Matt asked.
“He did, in a way,” Sam confirmed. He described Jimmy’s visit to Justin and his decision to lend Justin the thirty grand. “He was convinced that Justin was closing on a million dollar sale to a buyer. Justin promised to pay him back from the profits.”
