The Last Thing She Said

by Lauren Carr

  “Yes, he did,” Helen said. “Since Horace Billingsley received the ransom demand, it would be natural for investigators to assume George had been abducted because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “If George had a mistress lurking in the background, she would have been discovered by now.” Francine wiped her mouth with a paper napkin while reaching for a third slice of pizza. “This case has been investigated up one end and down the other by conspiracy theorists. Witnesses and everyone connected with both Mercedes and George have been interviewed time and again. He’s never been portrayed as anything other than a loyal husband.”

  “Then who else would George have been sneaking out to meet that night?” Chris asked. “We know it wasn’t his wife. Did anyone actually see who was behind the wheel of that Camaro? Since George was never seen or heard from again, we can assume that the driver of that car is our perpetrator.”

  Several of the squad members flipped through the pages of the witness statements in search of a description of the car’s driver.

  “I’m not seeing anything here about anyone seeing who was actually driving the car,” Elliott said.

  “George obviously lied about where he was going and who he was going to be with,” Doris said. “Because everyone thought he was meeting his wife, they assumed Mercedes was driving.”

  “I say George was getting something on the side,” Elliott said with a firm nod of his head.

  “Look at it from George’s point of view,” Chris said. “He grew up with Mercedes. She said they were friends. Maybe there was pressure from his family to marry this woman from a good family whose father would ensure his future. It had to be a blow to his ego that she didn’t love him.”

  “If Livingston did have a mistress, then that explains why Crane was called into the case so fast,” Bruce said. “When we’re talking about the Billingsleys, we’re talking about the elites. It’s all about appearances with them. Not only was George the CEO’s son-in-law, he was most of these people’s boss.” In agreement, he gestured at Chris. “Maybe he did have a mistress that some were aware of. If he had left with her and then they’d gotten into a car accident or whatever, then the last thing they’d want is for the local police to happen upon them and for George’s cheating to be made public.”

  “There’s definitely a woman involved.” In triumph, Elliott held up a page from the case file and pointed at a section in the report. “The phone calls from the kidnappers came from a woman.”

  Chris wrote “Ransom Calls From Woman” on the white board under the heading of “Potential Suspects.” “Who is she? A woman scorned in an affair gone wrong or a femme fatale who lured George away from the hotel with the intention of extorting money from his father-in-law?”

  “Shannon told us in her letter that they were living under the same roof, but they were separate,” Doris said. “If he was having an affair, then she’d have to be someone from his world.”

  “Mom’s right.” Chris wrote “From George’s World” on the board. “Since she picked him up at the Bavarian, then she was probably attending the conference.”

  “She wasn’t necessarily one of his employees,” Bruce said. “A lot of spouses attend those conferences. They’re boondoggles—an excuse to get drunk and into trouble. That’s why they always have them at five-star resorts.”

  “One person who had to have known something was the public relations guy who had pulled Kevin Crane into the case,” Helen said.

  “Gavin Fallon,” Chris said. “Unfortunately, we can’t talk to him. He’s dead.”

  “Died in a house fire,” Helen said. “He went to school with Kyle Billingsley. Interesting thing about that—Fallon died only six weeks after George went missing.”

  “Really?” Ray began tapping away on his laptop’s keyboard.

  “After Kyle told us that he had died in a fire, I decided to look into the circumstances.”

  “Suspicious?” Chris asked.

  “Definitely.”

  “What was the cause of the fire?” Elliott asked.

  “The fire inspector determined that it had been caused by a lit cigar,” Helen said. “It started on a sofa. Kevin’s body was found with a couple of booze bottles and porn magazines nearby.”

  “Just because he died suddenly a month and a half after George’s abduction doesn’t mean he knew anything,” Bruce said.

  “Maybe,” Helen said, “but it’s looking more and more to me like a conspiracy. Fallon was friends with Kyle Billingsley, who Mercedes had told about her plan to disappear. The kidnappers ordered Kyle to deliver the ransom, which disappeared under dozens of agents’ noses. Fallon enlisted his good buddy FBI agent Kevin Crane, another old school chum, to lead the investigation before they knew there had been a crime. Then suddenly, Fallon dies smoking in his home? I’m not buying it.”

  “Looks like everyone in this case had history together,” Elliott said. “Kyle Billingsley and Gavin Fallon.”

  “George Livingston grew up with Mercedes, which meant he grew up with Kyle,” Doris said. “Most likely, he knew Gavin, too.”

  “That’s probably how Fallon got the contract for the conference,” Bruce said.

  “Crane says he knew Fallon from boarding school,” Chris said. “Kyle Billingsley also knew Fallon from school. That means Billingsley had to know Crane, as well.”

  “Funny,” Helen said, “Kyle never mentioned to us that he knew the lead investigator in his sister’s kidnapping case.”

  “It looks like there’s history connecting each one of our suspects to the victim,” Francine said with a slim grin. “I like it.”

  “Ray, did you get a look at Kyle Billingsley’s financials?” Chris asked. “Any sign of unexplained money—like about a half million dollars?”

  Ray shook his head. “That’s hard to say. The guy lived and worked in Hollywood. Most of that town’s population would be able to help him launder a half a mil. I’ll keep looking.”

  “It would not necessarily be half a million dollars if he had split it with Fallon and Crane,” Helen said.

  “Are you seriously considering the lead investigator to be part of the kidnapping conspiracy?” Jacqui said.

  “I thought you didn’t like Kevin Crane?” Chris asked.

  “I’ve never met the guy,” Jacqui said. “I may not want him stealing our case, but that doesn’t mean I want to wrongfully accuse him either.”

  “Don’t we all agree that it’s suspicious how Crane happened to be there as soon as George Livingston went missing and took the lead in the case?” Helen asked. “Plus, you have to admit it was very sloppy how he let a half million dollar ransom disappear on his watch.”

  “The Fairfax County medical examiner found accelerant on Fallon’s body.” Ray pointed at his laptop screen. “He also found heroin in his bloodstream, but no evidence of recent regular drug use.”

  “Let me see that.” Jacqui jumped out of her seat and rushed around the table to read the medical examiner’s report.

  “Ray, how did you get that report?” Chris asked.

  “I logged into the Fairfax County government system,” Ray said.

  “The medical examiner’s records aren’t available to the public.”

  “They aren’t?” Ray’s jaw dropped open. His eyes grew wide, which was further magnified by his thick eyeglasses. “I guess their security system broke down somehow. Lucky thing I logged in when I did. Otherwise, it would have blocked me.”

  “According to the medical examiner’s notes,” Jacqui said, “all evidence and case files were confiscated by the FBI—including the body.”

  “Crane was covering his tracks.” Helen handed Gavin Fallon’s picture to Chris to tape onto the white board.

  Chris paused when he saw the face in the picture. “Fallon was at Hill House.”

  “When?” Doris asked. “L
et me see.”

  “It was between Mercedes’s speech that night and the book signing.” Chris held up the picture for her to examine. “I remember him because Mercedes was not happy to see him.”

  “Mercedes is just about to run away,” Helen said, “and suddenly a contractor working for her husband shows up. Something like that could have thrown anyone for a loop.”

  “What was he doing at the Hill House when the event he and his ex-wife were coordinating was in Shepherdstown?” Chris asked.

  “Did his wife give a witness statement?” Doris asked. “Do you have her picture?”

  Elliott flipped through the papers until he extracted Patricia Baker’s picture to show Doris.

  “Yes, I know that woman.” Doris tapped the image with her finger. She held it out to Chris to tape onto the board. “Patricia Baker. She was the organizer for the writers conference in Harpers Ferry. She was there the whole weekend. She and Mercedes were friendly with each other.”

  “Their public relations firm must have had two events happening on the same weekend and the owners split up to cover both,” Jacqui said. “Patricia handled the Harpers Ferry event while her ex took care of the Shepherdstown one.”

  “Patricia must have gone over to the Bavarian Inn for some reason,” Doris said. “She got held up, and Gavin went over to the Hill House to cover for her. Mercedes was expecting to see Patricia when Gavin showed up. That’s why she was startled.”

  Chris stared at Gavin Fallon’s picture while recalling the expression on Mercedes’s face. “She was definitely unnerved when she saw him.”

  “According to Kyle, Patricia and Gavin had an amicable divorce,” Helen said. “Amicable enough for them to run a company together. Maybe when we question her—”

  “Patricia Baker is missing,” Ray announced while reading his laptop screen.

  “What do you mean ‘missing’?” Chris went behind Ray’s chair to read the article he had on his laptop’s screen.

  “Missing,” Ray said. “As in no one knows where she is and she can’t be found.”

  “Sounds missing to me.” Bruce arched an eyebrow.

  “When did she disappear?” Chris leaned over Ray’s shoulder to get a closer look.

  “One month after George Livingston went missing,” Ray said.

  “That would be two weeks before her ex-husband’s murder,” Francine said.

  “What were the circumstances?” Elliot asked.

  “She didn’t show up at the office one morning,” Chris said while reading. “Her business partner—”

  “That would be Fallon,” Helen said.

  “—went to her home to investigate. She wasn’t there.” Chris gestured for Ray to scroll down the screen. “Her car was in the driveway. Her purse, wallet, keys were in the house. Her half-eaten dinner was on the table. There was water in the bathtub. It looked like she had left in the middle of dinner. No one saw anything. No one’s heard from her since.”

  “She had to have known something,” Helen said.

  “A woman called in the ransom demand,” Doris said. “Baker got her hands on the ransom and ran.”

  “Then she killed Fallon so she wouldn’t have to split the money with her partner in crime,” Elliott said.

  “Or to keep him quiet,” Francine said. “You know what they say. The only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.”

  “Case solved,” Ray said.

  “It can’t be Patricia Baker,” Elliott said. “She was one of the witnesses who saw George riding off in the red Camaro.”

  “What exactly does that statement say?” Bruce asked.

  “The banquet manager, Robert Sellers and Patricia Baker witnessed Livingston leaving before the dinner.” Elliott leafed through the report in search of the restaurant manager’s statement. He ran his finger along the account. “Sellers says he was standing outside the restaurant’s main entrance talking to Baker about the timing for serving the courses. She was having a cigarette break.”

  “That explains why they were outside,” Francine said.

  “A man wearing a coat walked out,” Elliott continued to read. “Patricia greeted him by name, calling him George. She told him that the banquet was about to start. He said that he was having a quiet dinner in town with his wife. He went to the end of the walkway and climbed into the passenger seat of a red Camaro.” He added, “Sellers did not see who was driving.” He handed the banquet manager’s photograph to Chris.

  “Sounds pretty straightforward.” Chris took the picture and taped it to the white board.

  “Would he have any reason to lie?” Jacqui asked. “Maybe Baker paid him off to back up her statement.”

  “Nah,” Bruce said with a shake of his head. “Robert Sellers had been with the Bavarian Inn since forever.”

  “He retired fifteen years ago,” Doris said. “Now he owns a café and bakery in Shepherdstown.”

  “Why didn’t Crane mention that two key witnesses in the case were either killed or went missing within six weeks of the abduction?” Chris shook his head. “He didn’t give us the complete case file.”

  “Like you thought he would,” Jacqui said.

  “Do you want me to break into the FBI database to get the whole thing?” Ray asked.

  “No,” Chris said not unlike a father ordering a child.

  “That would be the wrong thing to do, Ray,” Bruce said in a stern tone.

  “You’re right.” Ray hung his head. “Hacking, even for good, is wrong.” He stuck his bottom lip out and looked up at Chris with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry I even mentioned it. Please forgive me.”

  “If Baker went missing and Fallon was murdered, then someone else had to be in on this. We definitely need to take a closer look at Kyle.” Chris turned back to the whiteboard. “After all, he’s the only one Shannon told about running away.”

  With Chris’s back to them, Bruce gestured for Ray to get the complete file from the FBI. Ray gave him a thumbs up.

  “Does Patricia Baker have any family besides her dead ex-husband?” Doris asked.

  Ray squinted while scrolling through pages on his laptop. “She has a sister. A nurse. Caroline Andrews. Still alive—” He shrugged his shoulders. “At least as of the date on this website, which I confess is a few years old.”

  “Do you think you can find her?” Doris said. “Sisters naturally tend to be best friends and share confidences with each other.”

  “Not really,” Francine said with a scoff. “My sister ratted me out to our parents when I snuck out, stole my clothes, and my sailor boyfriend who she ran away with and married.” She slammed her fist on the tabletop. “They’re now living in what should have been my big house in Norfolk on the beach with two dogs and a cat.”

  “I’m glad to see you’re not still bitter about that, Francine,” Jacqui said. “As for me, my sister and I grew apart. No real falling out. We just drifted away from each other. But after my husband died, we reconnected and are closer than ever. I agree with Doris. It could prove worthwhile to reach out to Patricia’s sister. She seemed to be involved in this up to her eyeballs. She may have confided what happened to her sister before she went missing.”

  “While Ray is hunting down Patricia Baker’s sister,” Doris said, “Elliott and I volunteer to have another go at Kyle. I know of a wonderful little mystery bookstore in Baltimore I’d like to stop in at.”

  “You’re to talk to Kyle,” Chris said. “No interrogation techniques.”

  “In other words, leave your thumbscrews at home,” Helen said.

  “You’re no fun,” Doris said.

  “Are there any other suspects who’s still alive and on the grid?” Bruce asked. “There has to be at least one.”

  Chris referred to his copy of the report. “There was one that a few of the conference attendees suggested Cra
ne look at. He mentioned her this afternoon. Livingston had accused her of embezzling the money from his savings account.”

  “Which was actually Shannon’s doing,” Doris said.

  “Exactly,” Chris said. “Her name was Lucille Del Vecchio. Crane says she was cleared of the kidnapping.” He picked up the picture of a severe-looking woman with dyed dark hair and taped it on the board. “MBA and law degree from Yale. She was the director of the in-house legal department and in line for the vice president position when Livingston married the boss’s daughter and snatched the job right out from under her.”

  “The glass ceiling was pretty thick back then,” Jacqui said.

  “According to witnesses, Del Vecchio didn’t take it well,” Chris said. “Many said she’d undermined Livingston more than once. She’d engineered a couple of dirty tricks to make him look bad. When George realized what she was doing, he told his father-in-law who in turn told his friends. Her reputation was ruined in no time. She was blacklisted from moving laterally to another company. That left her stuck working for Livingston.”

  “Why didn’t Livingston just fire her?” Doris asked.

  “He probably saw being stuck in a dead-end job working for the man she’d tried to humiliate as a worse fate,” Elliott said. “If she’s ambitious enough, that could have given her motive to kill him.”

  “But wait. There’s more,” Chris said. “Carla Adkins, Livingston’s secretary, told the feds that Lucille Del Vecchio just that afternoon, hours before Livingston disappeared, had gotten into a huge fight with him before his afternoon presentation.”

  “What about?” Helen asked. “The money disappearing from Livingston’s savings?”

  “I don’t understand why George would have suspected her of stealing from his account and not Mercedes,” Jacqui said.

  “At that time, George didn’t believe Mercedes had any motive for taking it,” Helen said.

  “While Del Vecchio did,” Chris said. “Revenge.”

  “If she was sly enough, Del Vecchio could have done it,” Bruce said. “Stealing other people’s money from their bank accounts was happening long before the digital age.”