Murder in Lancashire

by Jane T O'Brien

  “What's up, beautiful, you sounded worried on the phone.”

  “It's Sophia, she's having nightmares about Richard's murder. She's afraid she hired someone to kill him. She mentioned these pills and gave me some thinking I needed them. They are supposed to help with falling asleep but I thought you could help me find out if they are harmful.”

  “I'll call Dr. Melville; he should tell me if there is anything wrong with these things. They look harmless, but we can have the lab check them out too.”

  “I knew you'd help me. I worry about Sophia; she is at the breaking point. Have you noticed their home looks like a replica of The White House? I asked Sophia about it and she told me it was custom built for Richard. He was a self-important man, wasn't he?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Your mother called; your phone keeps going to voicemail. Call her as soon as you get in. Samantha, your mom sounds so nice. She invited me to the wedding.”

  “I hope you will come; I'll make sure Mike gets an invitation too.”

  Samantha called her mother. She knew she could count on her to arrange everything the way she wanted. The chapel in Wedgewood Park, Reverend Bennett would be delighted to marry them and a room at the Ashville Hilton is reserved and will be catered by Alfred Greenfield Catering. Alfred was a school friend of Samantha's oldest brother and the best caterer in town.

  “Mom, I knew you could do it but I never expected you would have everything taken care of so quickly.”

  “This is only the beginning, I've waited a long time for my only daughter to marry, I have many ideas.”

  “Remember to keep it simple,” Samantha pleaded, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

  “Hi sweetheart,” Fletch said laughing. “I just got off the phone with my mother. She and Dad are driving to Ashville tomorrow to meet with your folks and discuss the wedding. Are you sure you don't want to run off to Las Vegas? This thing is getting complicated.”

  “Let's let them do their thing, your mother called me too, she's as excited as my mother about this. I told Mom we wanted it simple, but it fell on deaf ears.”

  “In between my mother's phone calls, I heard from Doc Melville. Valerian Root is from the Valerian plant, whatever that is. It's used for relief of anxiety and as a sleep aid. Doc would not recommend it for his patients because of the side effects, including liver damage. The drug has also caused vivid nightmares in some people.

  “I had the lab check out the pills you gave me. They are exactly what it says on the bottle, nothing has been added to them.”

  “I wonder how I can convince Sophia to stop taking them, she seems to think they are a miracle drug.”

  “You could talk to Eloise. She acts like her guardian.”

  “Eloise is the one who gave them to her, she might take them herself and they don't affect her like they do Sophia.”

  “I can give you Doc Melville's number if you would like to pass it along to Sophia.”

  “I know she has her own doctor but I don't know if she has talked to him about these pills. I guess I’ll pay another visit. I hope Eloise isn't there, I'd rather talk to Sophia alone.”

  “Good luck, I'll see you around six o'clock.”

  “I'll be here.”

  Sophia was surprised to hear from Samantha again so soon.

  “Sophia, I have something to discuss with you, would it be all right if I stopped by for a little while?”

  “Yes, is something wrong, Samantha?”

  “No, nothing's wrong, I wanted to talk to you about the cause of your nightmares.”

  Sophia was waiting at the door when Samantha arrived.

  “Sophia, how much do you know about these pills you are taking?” She held up the bottle of Valerian Root.

  “What's to know, they help me fall asleep, is there something else I should know?”

  “Have you told your doctor you are taking these?”

  “No, they aren't real medication, it never occurred to me to tell him.”

  “Doctor Delmar Melville works closely with the police department. He told Fletch Valerian Root can cause vivid nightmares in some people. Do you remember if your nightmares started after you took these pills?”

  “I don't remember, I've been taking them for a couple years. I was having trouble sleeping and Eloise suggested them. She takes them herself and has never mentioned nightmares.”

  “They don't affect everyone the same way. Would you be willing to stop taking them for a while to see if the nightmares go away?”

  “You don't understand, without my pills, I can't sleep. I won't give them up. It's not like I'm using heroin or cocaine, these little pills are from a plant. What harm could they do?”

  “Cocaine and heroin come from plants too.”

  “Samantha, I thought you were my friend. I need my pills, I don't want to talk about it anymore.”

  “I won’t pressure you, Sophia. I'm sure it's not pleasant being unable to fall asleep. You could try playing soft music to help you relax. You told me you used to do yoga exercises every day, maybe they would help. I care about you, Sophia, I don't know if those pills are causing the nightmares but if there's a chance you can have a peaceful night's sleep, isn't it worth trying?”

  “I'll think about it,” said Sophia, “that's all I can tell you.”

  Sophia thought about Samantha's words. She picked up her iPad and began a search for her precious Valerian Root pills.

  There is significant evidence, the pills were causing the nightmares. Would she give them up and still sleep at night? It had been a while since she had done yoga exercises but some poses came back to her.

  She found her old yoga mat in the back of the closet and began routines she remembered.

  Eloise returned to the house and smiled as she watched Sophia in a downward dog pose. Eloise envied the tiny waist and slim hips of the younger woman.

  “I'm glad to see you are getting back into a routine,”

  “It feels good, I'd forgotten how relaxing yoga can be, try it, Eloise.”

  “Believe me, if I could maneuver my body into that position, you don't want to see my tush in the air. I stopped by to check on you before I go home.”

  “You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine.”

  Eloise did worry, she worried about Sophia and mostly worried about what she would do without a job now that Richard was gone. She had spent the last five years taking care of the Delaneys.

  She loved being Richard's campaign manager. He had nothing going for him except his good looks and she turned him into a winning candidate.

  She'd thought about approaching Forrest Wakefield about working as his campaign manager for the next election, but she couldn’t tolerate Mrs. Wakefield. Everything was going so well, why did it have to change? Eloise thought to herself while driving home from the Delaney house.

  “You sound distracted, are you all right?” asked Fletch when he called later that afternoon.

  “I'm not distracted, I'm driving home from my visit with Sophia. I'm not too far from the station, how close are you to stopping for the day?”

  “I'm ready to leave and meet my wife-to-be. Have you heard from the folks today?”

  “Only a half-dozen times. You would think it was William and Kate getting married all over again.”

  “My mom called me twice, our parents are my parents' new best friends,” said Fletch

  “That's good, they can keep each other occupied. Do you want to meet somewhere for dinner?”

  “Why don't we call for takeout, I would love to spend the evening alone with you.”

  “Sounds good. Will you look up a name for me before you leave?” asked Samantha, “See what you can find out about a guy named Tony Horton. He lived the west side of Lancashire a few years ago.”

  “I'll see what I can find. Drive safely and I'll see you shortly.”

  Sophia is convinced she met with this Tony guy. She mentioned the possibility of a split personality. Could it be true? I hope I didn't go
too far in telling her how dangerous that herbal supplement can be. She trusts me and I don't want to ruin the relationship.

  “Hi sweetheart, it's me,” Fletch said when he called her back in record time, “Tony Horton was killed in a drive-by shooting three months ago. He was walking out of the convenience store he'd just held up when someone took a shot at him and killed him instantly. He had an extensive criminal record. Why did you want to know about him?”

  “I'll tell you all about it when you get to the apartment. Hurry, I miss you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sophia's bedroom filled with sunlight. Her first thought was she didn't sleep a wink, she'd taken Samantha's advice and tried sleep inducing yoga exercises while listening to soft relaxing music.

  The last she remembered; she saw the numbers on the clock roll over to one thirty; it was nine o'clock now. Did she sleep almost eight hours? Was it possible she slept all night without waking and without a terrible nightmare?

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Sophia, it's Eloise, are you awake?”

  “Come in Eloise.”

  “My goodness sleepyhead, you must have been up half the night to sleep this long, are you feeling all right?”

  “I'm feeling fine,” Sophia didn't want Eloise to know she hadn't taken her pill the night before. Perhaps not having a nightmare was a fluke. It would be her secret, for now.

  Samantha was determined to get back to her writing. If she was lucky, and her mystery caught on, she would need to follow it quickly with another. So many ideas were swirling around in her head, she told Megan not to disturb her unless it was a matter of life or death.

  “If my mother calls, tell her whatever she decides is fine with me. I'm locking my door to the outside world.”

  “What about Fletch?”

  “I don't think he'll call but if he does, let me know.’

  Samantha was deep into the fourth chapter of the mystery when she had a thought about the real murder that had taken place.

  “Whoever killed Richard Delaney,” she shouted to the empty room, “wouldn't have hired a hit-man if they were sharpshooters themselves.”

  A worried Megan knocked on the door.

  “Samantha is everything all right in there.”

  “Everything is fine,” she opened the door. “All this time, we suspected the person responsible for Richard's murder had hired someone to kill him. What if that person was skilled with guns?”

  “That would make sense, do you know of anyone like that?”

  “No, but I could find out if the suspects are a marksman.”

  Samantha's determination to make progress on her book had diminished. She knew there would be no going back until she investigated the shooting ability of the suspects in Richard's murder. She placed a call to Fletch.

  “Hello sweetheart, it's good to hear your voice, I thought you were in solitary confinement all day while you write.”

  “That was the plan but I had a thought, what if Richard's shooting wasn't done by a professional but by someone who knew him. I'd be surprised if the persons of interest are marksman, although it might be worth checking out.”

  “You have a point, I'm afraid I've let that investigation fall behind with Robin gone. I didn't appreciate how much work she did around here.”

  “Why don't I help? I was thinking of calling Sophia to let her know Tony Horton is dead. I could also find out if she knows her way around guns. Cindy Matthews and Wanda Anderson might give me information too.”

  “I should tell you to stay home and write your book but I trust your instincts. Promise me you will be careful; you might not know these women as well as you think you do.”

  “Megan, were there any calls?”

  “Yes, your mother called twice, she's such a nice lady. We had a lovely conversation, you don't have to call her back, the three of us settled her questions.”

  “The three of you?”

  “Your mother, your future mother-in-law and me. I'd enjoy being a wedding planner. Sophia Delaney called too, she would like you to call her. Your agent called, he had good news about pre-sales of your book. He wants you to call him as soon as possible but he says don't stop writing. Also, there was a call from someone named Patsy Burke, she was in your high school class and wants to talk to you when you come home to Ashville. When I offered to take her phone number, she said it had waited a long time and could wait a while longer.”

  “I can't imagine why Patsy Burke would call me. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks.

  “I'll be going out for a couple hours. I'm glad you and my mother are getting along so well, remind her Fletch and I want a simple wedding. If Arnie calls back again, tell him I'm still writing.”

  “You want me to lie to Arnie?” Megan laughed

  “Of course,” said Samantha

  Samantha called Sophia from her car. She was happy to hear from her and welcomed a visit.

  “Samantha, I couldn't wait to tell you, I had the best night's sleep I've had in ages. I took your advice and didn't take a pill last night. I tried yoga and soft music and it worked. I slept like a baby and didn't have a nightmare.”

  “That's good to hear, I have information that might help relieve another worry for you. I asked Fletch to check on the whereabouts of Tony Horton. He discovered Tony was the victim of a drive-by shooting months ago. There is no way you could have met the man to arrange for Richard's murder whether or not you were sleepwalking.”

  “Tony Horton is dead? I'm sorry to hear that but what a relief, that means I didn't hire him to kill Richard. He's not the only bad guy I knew back then, perhaps I had him mistaken for someone else.”

  “Sophia, stop trying to convince yourself that you are a murderer. Tell me, do you have a gun in the house?”

  “No, Richard didn't like guns, Eloise thought he should have one for protection but he refused to discuss it with her.

  “I have another bit of good news. I feel guilty about being so cheerful while I'm still in the mourning period for Richard, but he'd be happy for me. The director of The Music Man called this morning. My understudy has filled in for me however, he wants me back for the last performance because next month we will go to Utica for a two-week stint. He thinks it's just the beginning and we will tour for several months.”

  “Sophia, that's wonderful. I'm so happy for you.”

  “If all goes as planned,” she said crossing her fingers, “I won't be in Lancashire for most of the year. I'd been thinking of putting the house on the market, and now I'm convinced it's a good idea. I still have my cabin in the woods and I like it there better.”

  “What about Eloise, where will she go?”

  “Oh, she doesn't live here, she has a place in town. She has been staying here at night to keep me company. I'm grateful to her but I must admit, she is getting on my nerves.”

  “She seems a little bossy,” Samantha laughed.

  “A little bossy? She's like a mother hen. Richard liked the attention at first although he tired of being treated like a child. Eloise doesn't know this, but he was talking to other people about managing his campaign for governor. I'm glad she never found out about his plans. She would have been crushed.”

  Samantha had a good feeling that Sophia would be all right. She was hopeful the pills were a thing of the past. Maybe they weren't the cause of all Sophia's problems but they didn't help.

  Samantha's next stop was to Cindy Williams' apartment. Cindy had just gotten off the phone with her former employer at the college. He was eager to have her return to the university. He'd tried three times to replace her and wasn't satisfied with any substitutes.

  “Samantha, please come in.”

  “You're smiling, Cindy, something has made you happy.”

  “Yes, I have my old job back at the university. Mr. Webster told me he didn't realize how valuable I was until he tried to replace me. Not only that, he's raising my salary. I'm feeling good about life again.”

  Cindy offer
ed her visitor a cup of tea. Samantha sat on the comfortable sofa in the living room.

  “I love this apartment, and what you have done with it. Do you feel safe in the neighborhood?”

  “Oh yes, it's close to the university and that can be a problem with some more rambunctious students but I haven't had trouble since the incident two years ago.”

  “What happened two years ago? Do you mind if I ask?”

  “It wasn't serious, a young man who was helping in the mayor's office and attending the university, took a liking to me. At first, it was flattering, but it got out of hand when he followed me home one day and showed up at my door for several weeks after that. My father insisted I have a gun for protection. He gave me a small handgun to keep in my nightstand.

  “I took gun safety lessons, but I've never had to use the lessons or the gun.”

  “I take it you're not an expert shot.”

  “Oh, heavens no, I hate the thing. Don't tell my dad, I took the bullets out of the gun. I feel safer without them in there. Dad doesn't know, but I'd never have the nerve to pull the trigger on a real person.”

  “What happened with your stalker?”

  “The police had a nice long talk with him. After that, his father pulled him out of school and took him back to Kansas. I’m sure he was harmless, but I was relieved when he was gone.”

  “I don't blame you,” said Samantha, “it could have ended badly.”

  Samantha believed Cindy didn't know enough about guns to fire the shot that killed her former boss. She wished Cindy luck with her new old job. The women made plans to meet for lunch soon.

  Her next stop was to Mayor Wakefield's office where Margaret Wakefield was issuing orders to a professional decorator. There was something intimidating about that woman and Samantha was annoyed with herself that she felt uncomfortable around her.

  “Hello, Mrs. Wakefield.”