I surreptitiously slid my gaze to Heidi and Bridget, and was relieved to see by their wide eyes and slacked jaws that they were just as freaked by this sudden turn of events as I was.
“Here.” Jayla set the hot dog on Arianna’s plate and began cutting it into small, bite-sized pieces. “Now be good and eat.”
“Eat! Eat!” Arianna chanted as she rocked back and forth in her highchair.
Motioning us to sit at the table, Jayla dropped down and sighed. “Look, we’re in a good place right now.” She looked around then sighed again. “I mean, I know it doesn’t look like it, but we are. Sort of.” Once again a tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry. It’s these darn hormones.”
My mouth dropped. “Are you…”
She nodded. “Pregnant? Yes. Almost out of my first trimester. And no, this was not planned. We can barely make ends meet right now as they are.” She shrugged. “But I’m sure we’ll survive.”
A noodle went flying across the kitchen, which caused Barney to scamper after it, knocking into Jayla’s chair. She jostled, but somehow managed to act like it never happened.
“When David left, Manny stepped up and took me in,” Jayla whispered. “He didn’t have to, but he did. We’ve become a family. Please don’t make trouble for us.”
“Only David didn’t leave,” I reminded her, hating myself when her lower lip trembled. “He was murdered.”
“Can I get you a glass of water?” Heidi asked.
Jayla smiled. “I should be asking you guys that.”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“We’re good,” Bridget added.
“I don’t want to make trouble for you and Manny,” I said, “but don’t you want to know the truth about what happened to David?”
Fear flashed in her eyes before she could hide it. “Of course I do.”
No, you don’t. Deep down, you’re afraid of what you’ll learn.
“Manny and Logan have both admitted that usually David spent Saturday nights with you,” I said. “Did you see David at all that Saturday night he disappeared?”
She swallowed hard before answering. “No.”
Heidi, Bridget, and I gasped.
“No?” I asked incredulously.
“No.”
“Did you call the police?” Heidi asked. “David’s parents? Anyone?”
“No.”
“Why not, Jayla?” I demanded.
“Because by the time eight o’clock came and went and he still hadn’t shown up, I thought...”
“You thought what?” I prompted.
She just shook her head.
“Did you try calling him or texting him at all?” Bridget asked.
“Of course.” There was a slight bitterness in Jayla’s voice. “I just knew he’d bailed and left town, and I wanted nothing more than to give him a piece of my mind.”
“Why did you think he left town?” I asked.
Her eyes cut to me. “You know why. I’d told him earlier that week—Monday I think it was—that I was pregnant. My parents were already upset that he’d been arrested for trying to steal an engagement ring for me. If they found out I was pregnant on top of everything else, they were going to flip. When I told David on Monday, he said he’d finish out his week at the library doing his community service, and then we’d start a new life together.”
“How would you live?” I asked.
“That’s the thing,” Jayla said, “he assured me he’d recently come into a way to make good money. He said he had an ‘in’ with someone and from here on out he’d be making good money.”
I frowned. “What did he mean by that?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Do you think he could have meant something about the Blevins?” I asked. “Maybe working for them in some capacity?”
“I don’t want to think that,” Jayla said. “Mainly because he promised to straighten up since he was going to be a dad.”
“But the last place he was before he was murdered was out at the Blevins Auto Body Shop, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” she admitted. “He’d called around four that day and said he needed to do something out there, and then he’d come over.”
“But he never showed,” Bridget murmured softly.
No one said anything for a few seconds, and Arianna seemed to pick up on the lull. “Down! Down! Down!”
Jayla stood and grabbed a washcloth off the counter. After wiping her daughter down, she carefully lifted her out of the highchair and set her on the floor. Once again the girl lit out like her hiney was on fire…screaming and laughing the whole time.
“I don’t know how to ask you this without upsetting you,” I said, “but you had to wonder, right? Maybe there’d been foul play?”
“When I still couldn’t reach David the next day, I contacted his parents—or maybe they contacted me? I can’t remember. Anyway, they said he’d written a letter explaining he was leaving for a job out of town and that he’d contact them when he could. Not to worry about him, he’d be fine, but he needed to distance himself from the trouble in Traveler’s Bay.”
I nodded. “And this was the note that was—”
“On their car windshield,” she said. “Have you spoken to his parents?”
“Not yet,” I said. “That’s our next stop after here. Do you talk to them much?”
When Jayla didn’t answer, just kept wiping the tray down, I tried another tactic.
“Did you know Manny had feelings for you way back then?” I asked.
She dropped the rag onto the tray and turned to face us. The despair and sorrow etched on her face told me all I needed to know. “Yes.”
“Did David know?” I asked.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. We never discussed it.”
“Why did Manny and Logan Blevins have a falling out weeks before graduation?” I asked.
“That’s not my story to tell. Manny told the detective when he asked, but otherwise, that’s for Manny to say and not me.”
I could tell I was losing her. I nodded to the girls, and they both stood when I did. “We’ll let you get back to finishing dinner and playing with Arianna.” I pushed in my chair. “One last question. What’s the last thing you remember David texting you?”
Her brow furrowed. “He said that Logan had just left the body shop, and that he needed to finish up something there. Then he was heading to my house.”
“Thank you for taking the time to talk with us,” I said. “Can I leave my card with you? It has my cell phone number on it in case you need to get ahold of me.”
“Sure.” Jayla took my card, smiled, then patted her flat belly. “I don’t think I’ll be dropping by the bar anytime soon, though.”
“Congratulations on the baby,” Bridget added. “I’m sure everything will be okay.”
Tears filled Jayla’s eyes again. “Thank you. I believe that too.”
Once again we traversed our way around the obstacle course in the yard, got in the Jeep, and pulled out onto the street. Only then did I break the silence.
“You heard her say it,” I said. “David never made it to her house that night. She said David told her Logan had just left the body shop and that he would soon leave the shop too. Earl Blevins has already stated he saw David getting in his car at the auto body shop. I think we have to look hard at the fact that it’s entirely possible that either acting alone, Manny texted or called David to meet him at the carriage house and he killed David. Or Logan and Manny met up, texted or called David and somehow lured him out to the carriage house, killed him, then walled him up.”
“And our main motive?” Heidi asked.
“Love, passion, jealousy. Whatever you want to call it. Manny was in love with Jayla, who was now pregnant, and I think those two boys took advantage of the situation and found the right time to kill David and make it look like he ran out on Jayla.”
“Giving Manny the perfect opportunity to swoop in and
save the girl,” Heidi said.
I steered the Jeep toward Sycamore Drive. “Time to talk to David’s parents.”
Chapter 13
“Mae said they’re still expecting us,” Heidi said as she slipped her cell phone into one of the eight hundred pockets she had on her green cargo pants.
I made the turn onto Sycamore Drive and crept down the street until I came to the yellow and white bungalow on the left-hand side. Pulling into the driveway, I parked behind a blue Toyota and shut off the Jeep.
A pretty woman with sad eyes and grief etched over her face opened the door to us. She was mid-forties, slightly overweight, and her brown hair was cut in a practical bob to her chin. She smiled wanly at us and motioned us inside.
“You must be the girls Mae told me about.” Her voice, low and raspy, was filled with sorrow. “Please come in.”
I stepped straight into the living room and locked eyes with a man sitting in a burgundy recliner. He nodded briefly then clicked off the TV. Mrs. Saddler motioned for us to sit on the sofa while she sat in a kitchen chair next to her husband’s recliner.
The living room, though slightly dated, was orderly and clean. A large flower pattern covered the sofa and the curtains, and I was pretty sure my grandmother once had the same style lamps the Saddlers still used.
“Can I get you girls something to drink?” Mrs. Saddler asked. “It’d be no trouble.”
“Thank you,” Heidi said, “but we’re fine.”
“Well, this here is my Bob,” Mrs. Saddler said, fluttering her hand in the air.
“My name’s Jaycee.” I pointed to Heidi then Bridget, introducing them both.
“Nice to meet you girls.” Mr. Saddler reached over and took one of Mrs. Saddler’s restless hands into his. Smiling at her, he gently patted the top of her hand and winked. “My Ella just doesn’t know what to do with herself right now, and neither do I, to be honest. This news has devastated us. We always held out for hope of some kind.”
“We’re sorry for your loss,” I said.
Mrs. Saddler took back her hand, reached inside her cardigan, and brought out a wadded-up tissue. Dabbing the edge of her right eye she shook her head. “He was our only child. Parents aren’t supposed to outlive their children.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “I’ve heard my mother say that many times over.”
“And to think you and your sister are the ones to find David after all this time,” Mrs. Saddler said. “At least, that’s what the detective told us.”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. My sister, Jax, and I discovered the—discovered your son when we went to do some renovations in the carriage house of our new home.”
“David may have been in and out of trouble most of his teenaged life,” Mr. Saddler admitted, “but I always thought he’d come out of it and land on his feet.” He smiled ruefully. “He took after me in that respect.”
“Now Bob,” Mrs. Saddler chided, “don’t say that.”
“Why not?” For the first time a genuine smile flickered over the man’s face. “It’s the truth. I was known to get into trouble now and then when I was a boy.” Again he reached over and patted her hand. “But all that stopped when I won the heart of the most beautiful girl I ever laid eyes on.”
Mrs. Saddler blew out a watery laugh. “You always were a charmer, Bob.”
“It’s the truth,” he said matter-of-factly. “And I always thought that’s what that little Jayla Parker did for David.”
“She’s Jayla Lopez now,” Mrs. Saddler reminded her husband.
Pain filled his eyes. “I know. Just like I know that little girl carries the wrong last name.”
“Hush,” Mrs. Saddler said. “No sense drudging up that painful subject.”
Perfect opening.
“I’m pretty sure I know where you’re going with that comment,” I said, “but how about talking about his best friends first.”
“Logan Blevins and Manny Lopez?” Mrs. Saddler wondered. “Those three were like the—well, like the Mischievous Musketeers. In middle school it wasn’t so bad, but when they got into high school, their antics became more outside the lines of the law.”
“We didn’t worry at first,” Mr. Saddler said. “Loitering and skipping school wasn’t that serious, but when David got picked up for shoplifting his sophomore year, his mom and I came down pretty hard on him. But it didn’t take. Two months later, he and the other two were arrested when Logan got caught hotwiring a car and going for a joyride.”
Mrs. Saddler wiped at her eyes again. “No matter what we did—grounding, refusing to let David see the other two, threats of military school—nothing phased David.”
Mr. Saddler smiled. “Until Jayla. I’ll never forget the first time he mentioned her. I knew right then there was something about that girl that made David a goner.”
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Saddler agreed. “He talked non-stop about her. Finally his dad and I convinced him to ask her out.”
“And that was that,” Mr. Saddler jumped in. “Those two started spending a lot of time together.”
Mrs. Saddler looked at her husband. “Which made us happy. We loved the girl, good family and parents. We thought she was just the positive influence David needed. Even if it drove a wedge between the other two boys. I mean, he still spent time with them, but now it was designated time.”
They both fell quiet, and I had to wonder if they weren’t drawing on a memory. Before I could ask another question, Mr. Saddler sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know why David didn’t just come to me for the money to buy Jayla a ring. I’d have loaned it to him.”
“I always got the feeling he had a plan,” Mrs. Saddler murmured almost to herself.
“What do you mean? Did he have a job?” I asked. “I know Manny worked at the hardware store starting his senior year, and Logan worked out at the auto shop. Did David have a job his senior year?”
“Not really,” Mrs. Saddler said. “We didn’t want him stretched too thin. We always told him there would be plenty of time to work. But sometimes if he needed quick money, he’d go out to the auto shop and work for the day.”
“What makes you think he had a way to pay for the ring then?” Bridget asked.
Frowning, Mrs. Saddler shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. Just something he said once maybe? I don’t recall now.”
“When exactly did David steal the ring and get arrested?” I asked.
“Like two weeks before he graduated,” Mrs. Saddler said. “The school threatened to not let him walk, but we finally convinced them to not take that from him.”
I frowned. “I’ve had witnesses tell me that maybe a week or so before David got caught stealing the ring, Manny and Logan seemed to have a falling out of some sort. Do you know anything about that?”
The two exchanged glances.
“We always figured it had something to do with Jayla,” Mr. Saddler said. “Like maybe when Manny found out David was going to buy Jayla a ring, Manny told Logan his true feelings for Jayla and the two fought about that.”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” I said, “but Logan Blevins doesn’t strike me as the caring type. And even though neither boy will tell me exactly what the fight was about, I got the feeling it was pretty serious. Serious enough that to this day Logan and Manny don’t speak.”
Heidi leaned forward and looked over at me. “And didn’t you say that Logan already knew Manny had feelings for Jayla?”
I furrowed my brow, trying to remember. “Yeah. I think so. I have it in my head that they all pretty much knew Manny had feelings for Jayla—even Jayla.”
Mrs. Saddler blinked in surprise. “Oh. Then I guess I have no idea what the two boys disagreed over.”
I decided it was time to move on from that line of questioning. “When did you realize something was wrong?”
Mrs. Saddler sighed. “Bob and I had fallen asleep early Saturday night. Now, had he been out with the boys, we’d have stayed awake, but we never wo
rried when he was with Jayla. So we went to sleep and didn’t know something was wrong until I went to get him up. It was Sunday, and sometimes he would go to church with his dad and me. And one of the agreements to him still living at the house after he did his three days in jail was that he would attend church.”
“But he wasn’t in his bed?” I asked.
Mrs. Saddler’s lips trembled as she shook her head. “No. I still wasn’t too worried, though. I thought maybe he fell asleep over at Jayla’s house. I went in and talked with Bob, and he told me to call Jayla’s number, and he’d check to see if David’s car was outside. Bob builds furniture, so the garage is packed with his tools and woodworking stuff, so we’ve always parked in the driveway. He came back in as I was talking with Jayla. He told me to hang up, he had something he needed to tell me.”
Mr. Saddler cleared his throat. “I found the note under my windshield wiper. He basically said for us not to worry, that he got wind of a good-paying job in San Francisco down at a pier as a dockworker. He didn’t tell us beforehand because he knew we would try and talk him out of going. When he had enough money saved, he’d ask Jayla to join him. He told us not to worry, that he had to make his mark in the world. He’d call when things got settled.”
“Only he never did?” Heidi wondered.
“No,” Mrs. Saddler whispered. “He never did.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
Mr. Saddler took a drink from the mug sitting on the stand next to his recliner. “We immediately called the police. After talking with an officer, and showing him the note, he said there was really nothing the police could do right now. We were to keep trying to get in contact with David, but there really wasn’t anything they could do.”
“Or wanted to do,” Mrs. Saddler said bitterly.
“Now Ella,” Mr. Saddler chided, “you have to understand their perspective too. One, it hadn’t been twenty-four hours yet. And two, David had been in more than his fair share of trouble. I’m sure that officer was relieved to think David might have actually left to go find a job in another town.”
Whispering Walls & Murder Page 7
