The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “Did Billy ever get jealous of...” Nora let her words trail off.

  Lillian flushed. “No, he did not. As a matter of fact, I was best friends with Fred’s wife Dana at the time he gave me the job. In thirty years, Fred never once did anything inappropriate. Billy knows it. So get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “So, Fred gave you a job because you were best friends with his wife Dana?” Nora pushed, not really knowing why she was deliberately antagonizing Lillian, only knowing that she was trying to find out something. Anything.

  “Yes, you could say that.” Lillian was cold. “I prefer to think he saw my talent back when I couldn’t see it myself. And I’ve proven my worth over the years. Nobody doubts that I was an effective right-hand-woman.”

  “Where is Dana now?” Nora asked.

  “Fred divorced her five years ago.” Lillian winced. “She left Milburn and moved far away. It was for the best, really.”

  “She left her son Rowan behind?”

  Lillian shrugged. “It was quite a painful mess. Everyone had to make sacrifices. Besides, Rowan was 22 and working for his father when it all happened. He didn’t need his mom as much.”

  “It must have been hard on you,” Nora said. “Considering you knew them both.”

  “It was. I had to choose sides, Fred made that clear - my best friend or my boss.” Lillian shrugged. “It wasn’t a very tough choice, really.”

  “Why did Fred and Dana divorce? Was it right after he met Adriana?” Nora guessed. “Did Fred cheat on Dana and then dump her?”

  Lillian laughed. “No. I wish it’d been that simple. Then I could look down on Fred and that would be that. That’s the story you want to hear, right? That Fred was a dirtball who cheated on Dana? It’d maybe make you feel a teeny bit better that Harvey killed a man who had no morals. You don’t want me telling you that your husband killed a good, decent man.”

  “Believe me, Lillian, all I want is the truth,” Nora said. “Even if…even if it means that Harvey goes to prison in the end.”

  Lillian snorted. “You say that out loud but I can tell you don’t mean a word of it. You have an agenda, Nora, and you’re pushing it. Well, I guess I understand. I’m sorry to tell you that you’re wrong about all of it. You think Harvey’s opinion of Fred is the truth, but it’s not. Harvey’s opinion of Fred is shaped because they were competitors and had bitterness between them. I know Fred. I was his friend. I’ve worked with him day in and day out.”

  “So tell me!” Nora said. “Tell me the truth.”

  “Fred was the victim,” Lillian blurted. “Dana’s the one who cheated on him. With a boy Rowan’s age, at that!”

  Nora gasped. “What?!”

  Lillian nodded. “It’s such a cliché, but she had an affair with their pool boy, Tim, who was only 22. Fred caught them when he came home early one day. He was devastated. He really loved Dana, you know. He was psychologically destroyed for more than a year. He felt like his whole marriage had been a lie. He felt humiliated and traded-in for someone younger.”

  “Oh…” Somehow, Nora had never imagined this. She’d been judging Fred since she met him, and only through Harvey’s eyes. She’d seen Fred with Adriana on his arm, young and beautiful, and imagined that he’d hit a midlife crisis and divorced his wife.

  Lillian nodded. “The thing is, I could see it coming a mile away. I’d warned Fred. I’d warned Fred that Dana was lonely, that he was working too hard and not paying her enough attention. I’d warned him that she was dissatisfied. He listened, but…but there was always that next deal to crack, you know? He took her for granted. After all, she was his wife of twenty-five years.”

  “It happens in a marriage sometimes.” Nora nodded.

  Lillian nodded. “It does. And, mind you, what Dana did was horrible. No excusing that. But Fred was still decent to her for Rowan’s sake. He didn’t want their dirty laundry aired in public, so he never told anyone what had happened. Nobody in town knows, not even their own son! I only found out because Dana told me the whole story and begged me to convince Fred to stay.

  “Fred wasn’t having it, though. It was like all his love had been burned away when he saw her in that boy’s arms. He told Dana that he’d let her live in peace, he’d even give her a good chunk of money, as long as she signed the divorce papers fast and left Milburn forever. He just didn’t want her in his life, plain and simple. He was businesslike about it all.”

  “She cheated on him and he gave her money?” Nora was shocked.

  “He didn’t care about the money, he just wanted her gone. He was barely holding it together at the time. Being a robot was the best he could do.” Lillian shook her head as she thought of those days. “He threw himself into work to get over her and, until he met Adriana, I don’t think Fred really did get over Dana. He had fling after fling with women half his age, almost as though he were getting back at Dana. But until Adriana, I didn’t see him happy and relaxed. I never liked Adriana - I still don’t - but at least Fred had a little bit of happiness before he died.”

  Nora nodded. “I see.”

  “Do you? Fred finally found some peace in his life and Harvey killed him. Sure, Fred was a flawed man in many ways but he wasn’t evil. I won’t forgive Harvey for killing him. Not ever. Now, if you could leave, I have a major headache and I need to sleep.”

  *****

  Nora drove back to the police station, her mind blurring with exhaustion and new information.

  The picture she’d had in her mind of Fred was of a greedy man who ran after what he wanted and didn’t care for anyone who was in his path. But, from what Lillian had said, he’d been a little more complex than that. He’d been competitive, sure, and he’d run after what he wanted, sometimes to the detriment of his rivals, but he had also been a decent man, a good husband and a good friend. He hadn’t dumped his wife for a younger woman, as Nora had assumed. He’d been the one who was dumped. Not only that, he’d tried to protect his son from a messy public divorce by keeping everything hushed and removing Dana from his life as painlessly as possible.

  Nora thought back to their dinner and wondered if that had worked. Rowan was a grown man. Without knowing the true reason for his parents’ divorce, had he, like everyone else, assumed that Fred was the one who chose to cheat on Dana? How much did he really know about his parents’ marriage? Had he resented his father ever since the divorce? Had Fred’s urge to protect his son from the truth actually backfired on him? Based on how Rowan had acted at dinner, maybe it had. Maybe Rowan’s resentment had turned to rage. Maybe, instead of appreciating the father who’d tried to protect him, Rowan had begun to hate him instead.

  *****

  Chapter 8

  Smart, Not Emotional

  Inside the police station, Hazel and Grace were leaning on each other, fast asleep on the bench. Hazel had her head thrown back and her mouth open, twitching occasionally in her dreams, while Grace snored gently on her shoulder. Austin and Jacob were sitting like bookends on either side of them. Austin had his arm thrown over Hazel’s shoulders and looked as though he, too, were about to doze off. He got to his feet in a hurry as Nora entered.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey.” Nora nodded at him. “Jacob? You’re here, too?”

  “Yep. I’m trying to convince them to come home. A neighbor is watching Kaylee.” Jacob stretched out to his full height of 6’5”, far taller than anyone else there. “I pestered Grace, but she absolutely insisted she wouldn’t leave here without seeing Harvey.”

  Nora nodded, pressing her lips together. So far, she had been avoiding feeling anything. Every time the thought of Harvey going to prison came to her, she’d resolutely pushed it away or locked it up. But seeing her daughters, so young and vulnerable, made her suddenly aware of what was at stake. Her daughters still needed their dad, and she definitely needed Harvey around, for a long, long time. She couldn’t allow him to be imprisoned. She just couldn’t.

  “You need to take a break,” Aus
tin said, his eyes softening as he saw the distress written all over Nora’s face. “Go home, take a shower, go to sleep, we’ll all take shifts here if you like. But you have to convince Grace, especially, that she needs to rest. After all, she’s got a baby on the way.”

  Nora nodded. Harvey would be fine. She was going to make sure of that. But, in the meanwhile, she needed to take charge of the girls before they exhausted themselves into sickness.

  “Alright.” Nora snapped her fingers. “Hazel. Grace. Get up, time to go home and get some sleep.”

  “Mom? You came back?” Slow and sleepy, Grace sounded like she was about five years old.

  “Come on, sweetie.” Nora stroked her silky hair. “Let’s get you home.”

  “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here till they let us see Dad. I told Jacob already and—”

  “And you’re not thinking straight,” Nora said. “It’s nearly two in the morning. Your dad is safe for now and, if the lawyers and the police are tussling over him, let them. You and Hazel need to go home and rest. End of story.”

  “How can you be so callous?!” Grace exclaimed. “Dad’s in trouble and you want us to leave him!”

  Hazel was awake, too, and nodded tearfully. “We’ve been waiting for hours. You just left us here by ourselves, Mom. Why would you do that? How could you desert Dad?!”

  “Because I want to help him. I want you to help him, too,” Nora explained. “For me, helping your Dad meant talking to people. For the two of you, the best way to help him is to take care of yourselves first. If you’re not well-fed and well-rested, you’re not going to be thinking straight. And, if you’re not thinking straight, you may not be able to be there when he really needs you. It’s sweet that you’re showing your devotion this way, Grace honey. It’s obvious that you want to stay here and make sure your dad is okay, Hazel. I would, too. But sometimes the right thing isn’t the obvious thing. We need to be smart, not emotional, right now. Now, no more arguments. Get up and get going.” She clapped her hands and pointed to the door.

  Obediently, Grace and Hazel got up. Austin gave Hazel a kiss on her forehead and gave Nora a thumbs up behind Hazel’s back.

  “I’ll take them home,” Jacob said.

  “And I’ll stay with your mom,” Austin told the girls.

  “I’ll see you all here tomorrow after breakfast, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We’ll know more by then and we can flesh out a plan of action. For now, your jobs are to take care of yourselves.”

  “Aye Aye, cap’n.” Hazel gave Nora a mock salute and then paused. “What about you? Shouldn’t you be taking care of yourself and getting rest and all that jazz?”

  “I’ll do that tomorrow when you come back,” Nora said. “Someone still has to be here, after all.”

  As the three of them drove off, Nora sank onto the bench beside Austin, who was popping chips into his mouth from a bright orange bag. Nora reached in and took one, the hit of sodium and flavor reviving her a little.

  “You did a great job convincing them,” Austin said admiringly. “Jacob and I tried all sorts of arguments and didn’t make any headway. They really love Harvey.”

  “I know they do.” Nora’s eyes teared up. “That’s what makes this all so horrible. They’ve had one shock after another. First at the hospital when Harvey got that scare, and now this.”

  A gust of wind blew in as the door opened and Nora looked up to see Tina scampering in. She had a big, broad smile on her face that told Nora she knew something. Nora felt her heart lift.

  “You were right,” Tina said immediately, clasping Nora’s hands in her own. “You were right! You were right!”

  “About what?” Austin looked confused. “What’s going on?”

  “Never mind.” Nora put a finger to her lips. “Tina, can we talk outside in your car? I don’t want…you know.”

  “Of course, of course.” Tina nodded. “Come on. Let’s go. I can’t wait to tell you what I found out!” Tina was nearly skipping as she headed out the door. Nora hurried out after her, then paused and looked back. Austin was standing up, his face scrunched up with worry and bewilderment.

  “You should come hear this, too, Austin.” Nora smiled.

  Austin suddenly had a wide smile on his face. “Thanks. I thought I was going to be left in suspense.”

  “It wouldn’t be fair to do that after the way you’ve been helping out,” Nora said. “I want to thank you for that, by the way. Really. I greatly appreciate it.”

  “Don’t embarrass me.” Austin rubbed the back of his neck. “Obviously, I was going to help.”

  “I know, I know. You love Hazel, you’d do anything for her.” Nora smiled.

  “It’s not that.” Austin hesitated. He looked like he wanted to say something but then reconsidered. “Never mind. Let’s go, Tina’s waiting!”

  Briefly, Nora wondered what Austin had wanted to say, then she put it out of her mind completely as they both got into Tina’s parked car. Tina was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, humming excitedly. The night felt cold and black outside the cocoon of the car. Nora shifted in the passenger seat and turned to Tina while, from the back seat, Austin leaned forward eagerly.

  “I spoke to the coroner.” Tina winked. “Guess what I found out?”

  “What?” Austin asked.

  “Tell us!” Nora exclaimed.

  “Well, all of this is strictly unofficial. Not a word to anyone, okay? The poor guy could lose his job,” Tina cautioned. “He wouldn’t even have told me if I hadn’t, basically, blackmailed him.”

  “You blackmailed him?” Austin sounded both shocked and impressed.

  “I blackmailed and browbeat him,” Tina said.

  “How?”

  “Let’s just say I know secrets in this town. Like who skimped on his tax returns for ten years.” Tina winked again. “Anyway. I promised Joey this will stay a secret.”

  “You know, for such a sweet lady, you’re downright scary sometimes,” Austin said.

  Tina shrugged. “We ‘sweet ladies’ are all dragons in disguise, Austin. But that’s besides the point. Joey confirmed a theory Nora had. He said that an initial, brief exam of the body shows that Harvey’s punch broke Fred’s nose, but nothing else. What killed Fred Bailey was some sort of poison in his system. Joey’s theory is that it was in the wine he drank, and took a little while to take effect. Harvey just had the worst timing in the world to punch Fred when he did.”

  Austin clapped his hands together and gave a whoop. “Are you serious?! That’s awesome! Harvey didn’t kill Fred, someone else did! They can let him go now!”

  “Not so fast. It’s still going to take forty-eight hours to confirm the toxicology reports and properly conclude an examination of Fred’s body. Until then, Harvey’s likely to remain in police custody,” Tina explained.

  Forty-eight more hours in police custody! Nora felt her heart clench. She really hoped she would, at least, be able to talk to Harvey, to reassure him somehow. Right now, he was probably convinced he had killed Fred, and completely heartbroken. Nora bit her lip. But she couldn’t tell him about the poisoning. Not yet. Not now. She burned inside at the thought of his pain. Her instincts were screaming at her to barge into the police station and shout out the news. But, if the police found out that the coroner had leaked information, then the entire investigation would be compromised, a scandal might result. And Harvey might be in lock up even longer as new people were hired.

  For Harvey’s sake, as much as she didn’t want to, Nora had to keep it a secret. Like she’d told her daughters earlier, to help him, she had to be smart, not emotional.

  “Until the police are very sure that it is poisoning, this news cannot leave the three of us,” Tina was saying, mirroring Nora’s thoughts. “Joey could lose his job and the entire investigation could be ruined if the news gets out too early.”

  “But why would they keep Harvey in jail if they know that someone else killed Fred?” Austin asked.

  “Becau
se the police are slow and thorough. And that’s a good thing - law and order can’t work on snap decisions,” Nora said. “This is just the coroner’s initial opinion. The police need to make sure it’s true before they release Harvey. Tina’s right. Nobody but the three of us can know about this until the police go public with their findings. Got it, Austin? This means no telling Hazel or Grace, even if it’d make them happier and less anxious. The fewer people who know, the better the chances of this becoming public and working in our favor. It also means…” Nora paused. “It also means I can’t tell Harvey. Not just yet.”

  “But it should be public. Now! The world needs to know Harvey didn’t do it!” Austin said.

  “And they will know, in good time. In the meanwhile, let the real killer grow complacent. Complacency creates mistakes. Mistakes are how we catch him…or her.”

  “Alright,” Austin said reluctantly. “I’ll keep my trap shut for now. I promise. But what next? We have to do something. Right?”

  “We will,” Nora said, her face grim. “We’re going to do everything we can to find out who the real killer is. For now, we know two things. First, that it’s poison that killed Fred Bailey. Second, that it was probably in the wine. We need to find out who had access to that wine and who wanted him dead. The killer’s been lucky so far. But that luck is going to run out real soon, and we’ll be the cause of it!”

  *****

  Chapter 9

  Staying Strong

  After the conversation, Tina left to go home and get a few hours of sleep, while Austin and Nora remained back at the station. They were both sitting around, tapping listlessly on their phones, when one of the inner doors opened and an exhausted looking Sheriff Ellerton stepped out. He looked up at the clock, which said 3am, and then at Nora. Shaking his head, he said, “I thought you’d have gone home to sleep or something.”

  “How could I when our hard-working sheriff is still on duty?” Nora decided a little flattery never hurt. Sheriff Ellerton seemed to disregard it, though.