Merry Wrath Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9)

by Leslie Langtry

  I was starting to get a bit hysterical.

  Ted looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. "Tell you what. You can hide out in the observation room while I question her."

  "Okay," I said. I'd been planning to do that anyway, but if this kid thought it was his idea, no skin off my nose.

  He shuffled through some papers on the desk. Rex's desk. "Dr. Body sent me her reports." He frowned at the mess of papers. "They're in here somewhere. Anyway, the cause of death for Spitz was a stab wound to the heart. And Bobby Ray Pratt died from strangulation. Nothing else in there."

  That was a relief, in a way. The murders were exactly as expected. No secret poisoning first or anything like that. The killer was keeping it simple. I liked simple.

  "How is Linda coming along with the clue?" he asked.

  "She's working on it," I said. "She'll let me know as soon as she can, and I'll tell you."

  Weir rubbed his face. The poor guy looked exhausted. What a crazy indoctrination into a new job. How many policemen have to investigate their superior's kidnapping their first few months on the job? Not many, I'd bet.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  With a sigh, he sat up. "Yes. I'm fine. Sorry. This is really overwhelming. I'm so new here, I still don't understand all the procedures."

  Officer Kevin Dooley walked past the doorway, carrying a live chicken. Probably his lunch.

  Ted stared at the doorway. "And what's up with Dooley?" He shook his head. "The academy did not prepare me for him."

  "I think he was dropped on his head as a baby. A lot. Down a long flight of stairs."

  "Is it just me," he asked, "or is he always eating? We had a drug bust the other day, found some marijuana in a bag of chips at the high school. By the time the bag made it into the evidence room, the chips were gone. I had no idea what to do."

  "A year ago"—I leaned forward—"Rex was raiding a teen kegger in a cornfield. They'd made pot brownies. They never made it back to the station. Kevin said it didn't affect him, but they found him sitting in the middle of the grocery store parking lot, eating a large rotisserie chicken with his hands and waving away tiny, invisible flying beagles." I hadn't been able to eat a rotisserie chicken since.

  "How does he still work here?" Ted asked, his eyes wide.

  I shrugged. "He got the job through his father, who was a big deal at the hospital. Somehow he made it through the academy—which is a mystery to me. Rex just says he's worked with cops who are ten times worse, and this isn't that big a deal."

  The phone on his desk buzzed. He answered, agreed to something, and hung up.

  "She's here." Ted pushed away from his desk and stood up. "Wait here. Once we're in the interrogation room, I'll have Officer Dooley escort you to the observation room." He looked me over. "You can't talk, shout, or do anything that would hurt the interview."

  I nodded and called out "Good luck!" as he disappeared.

  A minute later, Kevin walked in and grunted for me to follow him. We entered the dark room on the other side of the two-way glass, and I stared.

  Vy Todd had been known as a full-figured woman who was six feet tall. But a few years in prison had not been kind to her. There wasn't one ounce of fat on her skinny bones, and her face was emaciated. Her thinning blonde hair had been tucked into a severe bun, and she did not look happy to be here.

  "That's Vy Todd," Kevin said in a monotone.

  "Really? I thought it was the governor." I should've been a tad less sarcastic.

  Kevin looked at me with a blank face. "I don't think so. The governor is a man."

  "I knew that," I said acidly. "I…" But I never finished my sentence because the interview had begun.

  Ted spoke loudly, "My name is Officer Theodore Weir, and I am interviewing you, Ms. Vivienne Todd, aka Vy Todd."

  Not exactly what I would've opened with, but then, I would've started with the removal of her fingernails. To each their own, I guess.

  The woman sneered. "Well, get on with it then!"

  Her voice was not what I'd expected. I'd expected a deep, almost masculine voice full of authority. Instead, she sounded like a child who'd inhaled too much helium. Her voice was high in pitch and sounded like her vocal chords had condensed for some reason.

  "She sounds like a Munchkin from the Wizard of Oz." I nudged Kevin with my elbow.

  He turned and looked at me. "Do you have food?"

  That was when I noticed he was holding a file folder. For a moment I thought he'd eat it.

  I was going to ask about the chicken from earlier, but he shrugged and turned back to the glass.

  "Ms. Todd, can you give me an alibi for your whereabouts yesterday?" Ted asked, his voice cracking a little bit. I wished there was some way I could encourage him.

  She laughed sharply. "I was on a beach, getting a mani pedi."

  "A beach?" Ted frowned. "Where's there a beach around here?"

  "You gotta be kidding me." She shrieked with laughter. "I was home all day, catching up on the shows I'd missed when I was in prison."

  Ted regained his composure. "Was there anyone with you? Someone who could say you were there?"

  She leaned forward with mean eyes. "I said I was there. That's all you need to know."

  Yeah, pliers would've been much quicker. This was going to take all day. I dug into my purse and handed Kevin a bunch of dollar bills.

  "Get me a chocolate candy bar and a little something for yourself."

  He left before I could even put my wallet back in my purse. I'd only have a couple of minutes. Unless he wasn't very decisive. Then I'd have more. I grabbed the file Kevin had set down. Why would anyone trust this guy with any info? But bingo, I found her address. I took photos of as many pages I could until I heard the scuff of shoes outside. I was back in my spot before Kevin knew what had hit him.

  "Here." He handed me a bag of chips.

  Not exactly a candy bar, but at least it was edible. That was when I noticed he was eating out of a Chinese takeaway container that had TED written on it.

  "Where's my change?" I held my hand out.

  Kevin stopped eating. "I used it."

  "On what?" I pointed at the carton he'd stolen from Officer Weir.

  "Two bags of Corn Nuts, one Hershey Bar, and little powdered donuts," he said.

  "And you're eating someone else's food?"

  He looked slowly at the carton as if seeing it for the first time. "TED stands for Take Everything You Want."

  "It says Ted. With a D. Not a YW."

  "The D is silent."

  I gave up because Ted was talking.

  "How can you explain your fingerprints being at the scene of a murder yesterday?" He tried to look menacing, but it just came off as constipated.

  "I don't know what you're talking about," she growled in that tiny voice.

  I wasn't kidding. She sounded like she was only one foot tall.

  He took a photo of Bobby Ray Pratt out of a file folder and slid it to her. "Do you recognize this man?"

  She shrugged. "No. Should I?"

  "He's the man who died by strangulation in a house here in Who's There. Yesterday. And your prints were on the couch where he sat."

  "Look." She tossed the picture at him. "Today is the first day I've been to this stupid town. And it'll be my last."

  "How do you explain having family in town?"

  Oh. Right. I forgot.

  The woman scoffed. "I don't have any family here."

  "Riley Andrews," Ted said. "He's your second cousin, and it was his house where the body was found."

  Vy leaned forward and glared at the officer. "Then maybe you'd better ask him why there was a dead guy on his couch."

  The rest of the interview was pretty much the same. Ted threatened, and Vy blew him off. As a professional criminal, she knew not to say anything that would implicate her. As a novice detective, he was doing his best.

  It didn't matter, because now I had the address where the police had picked her up. I'd pay her a vis
it later and show her what a real interrogation looked like.

  "I'm gonna head out." I yawned. "Enjoy Ted's lunch," I added.

  Kevin nodded. "Okay."

  My cell went off as soon as I got into my car. Rex! The caller ID said it was coming from Sexi Rexi, a nickname he didn't know I'd given him.

  "Rex! Where are you? Are you alright? How can I find you?" The words spilled from my lips like Niagara Falls. Then I realized he hadn't said anything.

  "Rex?" I cried.

  He hung up. Or his captor did. Why risk calling? If I'd had my wits about me, I could've traced the call. Was the killer/kidnapper becoming impatient that I wasn't solving the clues fast enough? And if so, did that mean they might kill Rex off sooner than planned? I couldn't let that happen!

  There was a long list of suspects, including some that didn't even make sense. It was time to take one of them off the list.

  Juliette Dowd's house was a small ranch with white walls and green shutters. The woman always wore green suits. She took her job at the Girl Scout Council very seriously. Was she home? It was eleven in the morning on a weekday. There was no car in the driveway. In fact, tire tracks in the fresh snow indicated she'd left. There wasn't another set that said she'd come back.

  I got out of the car and walked down the sidewalk, turning at the corner and again into the alley behind the house. The detached garage was empty. She really wasn't there. But for how long?

  I wasn't really in the right frame of mind for a break-in. It's probably more honest to say this was a bad idea. Fortunately, I didn't care. I pulled on my gloves and walked confidently up to the house. My short dirty blonde hair was stuffed under my stocking cap. It would be difficult to ID me if there was a nosy neighbor watching. And in a small town like this, there was always a nosy neighbor watching. Sometimes, that was me.

  The back door was unlocked. I hesitated. Who didn't lock their door when they left? Was she home? Maybe her car was in the shop, and she was dropped off here to wait it out. I did the only thing I could do. I knocked.

  Then I ducked behind a huge rain barrel and waited.

  The seconds ticked by, and no one came to the door. Just to be safe, I repeated the process and waited. When no one came to the door, I realized Juliette was just stupid and had left her door unlocked.

  It was an invitation that was hard to turn down. I stepped inside and found myself in a bright and cheery kitchen. The wallpaper consisted of sunny yellow flowers, and the appliances were bright red. The fridge was plastered with pictures of teddy bears and ponies.

  It was a lot different than I'd expected. I figured her more for the satanic rituals–type—broken dolls with gouged out eyes all over the floor. I guess you never know. Like Vy Todd's munchkin voice. People can surprise you.

  Over the course of my short career, I'd met everything from a one-legged soccer star to a zoologist who was allergic to every animal on the planet. And once, in La Paz, I had to work with a magician who was terrified of magic. His best trick? Sawing a stuffed rabbit in half. And believe it or not, his act had thousands of followers. He's retired now and living like a king in Toledo.

  Leaving the spotless kitchen behind, I ventured into Juliette's dining room and found total chaos. The chairs and table were upended and smashed. A china hutch lay on its side, vomiting broken porcelain. The living room was the same, only this time, someone had taken a knife to the upholstery for a little tummy tuck.

  Something was wrong. Unless she lived like this, which seemed unlikely after the sunshine and rainbows kitchen, I'd say something bad had happened here. I picked up my pace and jogged through the rest of the house, calling out for Juliette.

  Sure, I'd broken in, but if she was tied up and gagged somewhere, maybe she'd cut me a little slack for rescuing her. The bedroom, guest room, and bathroom were gutted and destroyed. Every room I entered had been destroyed, but I found no screaming, hateful redhead.

  I ran for the stairs and took them two at a time on the way down to the basement. There was no point in sneaking around anymore. The lower level had been unfinished, but in the middle of the room was a chair with rope lying around it.

  A red spot drew my attention, and I dropped to my knees. Blood. Something bad had happened. I'd originally thought I'd find Rex here, but instead I found something else.

  The question was, had she had Rex here originally? The strands of long red hair stuck in the rope made me think otherwise. Someone had held Juliette captive in her own house. And then they'd moved her.

  Juliette Dowd was missing. And to my complete surprise, I wasn't responsible for it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  My cell buzzed. I looked around to make sure I was alone, which made me feel a little silly because, of course I was. I certainly wasn't inhibited by Juliette Dowd's presence.

  I didn't recognize the number but answered anyway.

  "Hey, Mrs. Wrath." Bart's monotone slacker voice floated into my ear.

  "Bart?" I frowned at the cell. "Is something wrong? Are the animals alright?"

  "Yeah. I just wanted to know if I can eat some of your chips." I heard explosions in the background, which had to be a movie.

  There was no time to quiz him. "Eat whatever you want. Have to go. Bye." I hung up.

  Poor kid. I hadn't told him he could eat. At least he'd asked. That was refreshing. My girls usually attacked any food laid out like a swarm of pyromaniac locusts.

  My cell buzzed again.

  "Can I have something to drink?" Bart asked. "We didn't specify beverages when you said I could eat what I wanted."

  My patience was starting to wear thin. "As long as it's not alcohol, knock yourself out. Now I really have to go."

  "Whatever," he said before hanging up.

  I poked around the basement to look for clues, and because I could. Who knew what that woman had here? Everything was neatly displayed in boxes on shelves. What did I expect? The skulls of her enemies? Weapons of mass destruction? Volleyballs?

  Sadly, all I could find were boxes of Girl Scout brochures. Either she worked from home, or she was stealing marketing supplies from the council. It didn't matter, because at least she didn't have a box labeled Ways to Destroy Merry Wrath.

  Now what? I'd promised Ted I'd let the police know when I stumbled onto something. I didn't want to interrupt him if he was still with Vy Todd, so I texted to tell him what I'd found at Juliette's house, without explaining why I was here.

  My cell buzzed. Grrrr…

  "Bart! I don't care if you eat the silverware!" I shouted.

  "Merry?" Linda asked.

  "Oh! I'm so sorry, Linda. My pet sitter has been calling me every five minutes…"

  She interrupted, "Never mind that. Can you come to my condo?"

  I assured her that I could and fled the scene just as I heard sirens in the distance. I left the door unlocked so they could get in without any trouble, because I was helpful like that.

  My old teacher answered on the first knock. "I have the whole clue unscrambled. I'm working on the crossword now, but it's harder than the last one and will take a little longer."

  "What's the clue?"

  "We knew it would have the words something borrowed in it," Linda said as she led me to the kitchen table, "which made it easier. Here's what it says,"

  There will be no honeymoon tomorrow…Let's turn next to Something Borrowed.

  A jolt of pain shot through me. Was the killer saying that Rex could die tomorrow?

  "We're running out of time," I croaked.

  Linda nodded. "Well then, I'd better get back to work."

  This crossword puzzle looked like the other. Linda had done an amazing job and was more than halfway done.

  "Can I help? Like last time?"

  She took in my begging eyes and offered, "I don't know. You're welcome to look at the clues I haven't crossed out yet."

  Leaning over her shoulder, I tried to make sense of the one- and two-word clues. This really wasn't my thing. Who knew I'd need to kno
w how to solve crosswords to save my fiancé's life?

  Like the other puzzle, this one probably had numbers written out as words—which would make the clue extra long. I watched for a while but started to get agitated. It drove me nuts that I was so helpless.

  Why couldn't the killer have just taken out a billboard announcing where Rex was? That would be convenient and very nice of him. Instead, we were worrying ourselves sick over these puzzles. Well, I was.

  "The clues are getting harder," Linda explained after my fifth or forty-seventh pity sigh. She pointed to number three across. "The answer has five letters, all of which are highlighted, and I've tried a number of options."

  Something popped into my head. "Class?"

  Linda wrote it down. "I think my brain is beginning to give out on me. I should've caught that."

  "Does that mean the word class is part of the clue?" I asked eagerly.

  "I don't know. Remember, all the letters in the highlighted boxes have to be unscrambled. We won't know until the end. Chances are"—she gave me a small smile—"it isn't."

  I pulled up a chair and sat down. "You know, I haven't thanked you for all of this."

  Linda put her hand over mine. It felt like a hug. "I'm happy to help. This is something I can do. Besides, I haven't had this much adventure in years."

  "Do you miss teaching?"

  She looked off into space for a moment. "I do, and I don't. I miss the kids like you. The ones who made a difference. I miss the kids I was able to help—the kids who needed it the most. But that was a long time ago. I'm happy where I am right now."

  I put my hand over hers. "Well, you made a difference in my life then, and now."

  Linda laughed. "Wait to thank me when we have your handsome detective back."

  My cell buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time today. It was Riley.

  "Merry?" he asked. "Can you come down to my office? I might have something."

  "Are you good to go here? I can stay if you need me."

  My teacher shook her head. "Go. I'll call when I have this solved."