“I understand,” Nora admitted. “You’re, essentially, a decent man, Sheriff. Just a little too cunning for my taste when it comes to holding on to power.”
“I have to be. Sean Dracon was such a force in this town for so long, that measuring up to him is nearly impossible. People have standards I can’t possibly meet. So I hold on to this position as hard as I can. Because I know, at the end of the day, that I care for more than just the position. I care about Milburn. I really do. I can’t say the same for my rivals.”
“I know,” Nora said. “Which is why I’ve always voted for you, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Ellerton grinned. “Why, I’m flattered.”
“Down to business now,” Nora said. “What happened to Fred Bailey, Sheriff? How did he really die?”
“There was a neurotoxin in his blood. I won’t get too specific, but we found out that someone had tampered with the bottle of wine.”
“How? The wine bottle was sealed. I saw Fred open the cork himself.”
Sheriff Ellerton nodded. “You thought you saw that. I found out that Fred Bailey kept that bottle of wine on the highest shelf of his bar. Have you seen the bar?”
“Yes, I have,” Nora said, nodding.
“OK. So, the bottle was on the top shelf. Now, we looked for fingerprints and found plenty…on the bottom shelves. The top shelf was completely free of prints. And free of dust. The bottom shelves , on the other hand, looked like nobody had dusted them in quite a while.”
“Implying that our murderer took the bottle, tampered with it and then replaced it after wiping down both it and the shelf in case they got any fingerprints anywhere.”
“Exactly,” Sheriff Ellerton confirmed. “Now, the bottle of wine was one of a kind. It cost a lot of money. So it wasn’t as simple as switching bottles. No. The cork was covered with aluminum foil and red wax. Someone used a syringe, injected poison into the bottle, then used superglue to fill up the hole in the cork and covered it up again with red wax to make it look normal.”
Nora nodded. “So, unless Fred was paying close attention, he wouldn’t have noticed.”
“Exactly,” Sheriff Ellerton agreed. “And all of this was done well in advance. Someone planned this. The problem is, we just can’t tell when it was done. It could have been done years ago, for all we know. It could have been done as late as an hour before the dinner.”
“What you’re saying is, we won’t be able to use our normal methods of solving the murder to get any useful clues?”
Sheriff Ellerton nodded. “Exactly. If he’d been clubbed to death, we could ascertain who was last seen with him or what type of club was used, etc. In this case, the poison is pretty ordinary - a simple internet search and some household items could be used to make it. So that avenue is closed. Since the method isn’t time bound, and it would be quite easy to sneak the bottle away for an hour or so, it’s no use finding out who had the opportunity to poison the wine. Nearly everyone had the opportunity to do it. We know the ‘what’. The ‘when’ is irrelevant. The thing we need to focus on - that you need to focus on - is the ‘why’. Why was Fred killed?”
“More importantly, who killed him?” Nora wondered.
“To be honest, I think I know the answer to that,” Sheriff Ellerton said. “The tricky part is actually finding him.”
“Are you talking about the same person I’m thinking about?” Nora asked.
As one, they both said his name out loud, “Eddie Shaw.”
*****
Chapter 14
Witchcraft
It was lunch time when Nora finally went home. She parked her car out front and just sat there for a while, trying to sort through everything she knew in her mind.
So, it was official: Harvey hadn’t killed Fred with his punch. Fred had been poisoned. But why? Could it be revenge? It seemed likely to Nora. Eddie Shaw had the motive and the knowledge. Sheriff Ellerton seemed to think so, too. But…why was there a little alarm in the back of her mind telling her that things weren’t what they seemed?
The front door opened and Austin stepped out onto the porch. He saw Nora in the car and brightened. “I’ve been waiting for you.” Opening the passenger door, he jumped in.
“Yes?” Nora asked.
“I’ve been stalking Eddie Shaw online,” Austin said with a big smile. “For someone who spends most of his life drinking in a bar, Eddie has had a pretty active social media presence. He was constantly commenting and posting photos.”
“Does that help us?” Nora asked.
“Kind of.” Austin grinned. “See, over the last year, he had a pretty regular social media schedule. He was most active between 12pm and 5pm, after which he clearly started drinking. Then, all of a sudden, nothing. He completely stopped posting online.”
“Funny.” Nora frowned. “Why did he do that?”
Austin shrugged. “I don’t know. This was his last post, if it’s any help.” He pulled out his phone and showed Nora a webpage with a photo of Fred Bailey holding an industry award. Adriana was by his side in a slinky black dress while Rowan, looking a little sulky, was standing behind him. Lillian was off to the side, shooting a hateful look at Adriana. In the comments section, Eddie Shaw had left two emojis - an angry face and a shocked face.
“I asked around town and tried to sync up the dates and times, to see if anything else happened around then. Right after Eddie Shaw posted this, he tried to attack Fred,” Austin said. “He was drunk and slurring and Fred basically overpowered him and had him locked up.”
Nora shook her head. “Not good.”
“Not good, indeed,” Austin said. “But then, he went dark. He just…dropped offline.”
“Why?” Nora wondered.
“Let’s go find out,” Austin said. “We should talk to Eddie’s ex-landlady. He apparently moved out of his house around the same time. I tried to ask her questions, but I couldn’t get anything out of her.”
“Your problem is that you’re too blunt sometimes.” Nora grinned. “If it’s any consolation, Sheriff Ellerton is on Eddie’s track, too.”
“He is?”
Nora nodded. “He’s trying to find Eddie, it’s his top priority right now. He thinks Eddie killed Fred Bailey.”
“And you don’t?” Austin asked suddenly, seeing something in Nora’s face.
“I...I should. I should think Eddie did it. It feels open and shut, really.”
“Then why don’t you think so?”
“Because.” Nora shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” Austin said. “Push a little harder. Why don’t you think Eddie did it?”
“I wish I knew. All I know is that I have a lot of questions, and it’s time to get some answers,” Nora explained. “But Eddie’s landlady can wait. It’s Rowan I’m planning to talk to first.”
“Rowan?” Austin looked confused. “Surely you don’t suspect him? He looked devastated that his father died. Rowan wouldn’t have killed his own father. No way.”
“There are stranger things that happen in the world, Austin,” Nora said. “To me, it seems very suspicious that Fred Bailey was killed before he could marry Adriana. A lot of people had a vested interest in his millions. I’ve little doubt that it was his money that killed Fred.”
“But… but...” Austin looked horrified. “Are you trying to tell me that Rowan would kill his own father just to inherit the money?”
Nora tapped her chin with a finger. “Maybe. Maybe not. It’s almost unthinkable for a son to kill his father. I agree. But for an ex-wife to kill her ex-husband? Ah. That’s another story.”
“I’m so lost.” Austin rubbed his head.
“Never mind,” Nora said. “Tell the others I’ll eat lunch out, will you? I’ll see you later.”
Bidding Austin goodbye, Nora sped over to Fred Bailey’s house. Multiple cars were parked outside and a harassed-looking Lillian seemed to be fielding off journalists. She was dressed in a lavender skirt-suit and sensible pumps, her hair nea
tly pinned back from her face. A look of relief passed over her face as she saw Nora make her way through the crowd.
“As I said before, the family and everyone at Bailey’s requests your cooperation in these trying times,” Lillian said as Nora approached. “Now we’d like you to respect this mourning period and leave us in peace. Please.”
The crowd shouted questions at her and shoved mics into her face. Lillian coolly grabbed Nora by the arm and shuttled her into the house. Once inside, she banged the door shut and leaned against it. Then she let out a huge exhale.
“I should have borrowed Billy’s shotgun,” Lillian said. “These reporters are such pests! All they care about is getting a scoop. No decency at all. Poor Rowan is holed up in his room trying to recover.”
“Is his mother with him?” Nora asked.
“Yes.” Lillian smiled. “I’m so glad she came back, too. It was good of her.”
“Well, she was bound to come. Rowan is her only son, isn’t he?”
“True. Poor Rowan. He’s not much older than my Derek. I can’t imagine his pain.” Lillian put a sympathetic hand on Nora’s shoulder. “Are you here to talk about Rowan suing you?”
Nora hesitated, then nodded. “My daughters said Rowan was screaming something about starting civil charges against Harvey and me?”
Lillian sighed. “Rowan’s got it into his head that the sheriff is going to let Harvey off without a charge.” She was watching Nora carefully. “What do you think about that?”
“I think that Harvey is in jail as we speak,” Nora said stiffly. “And as you so nicely told me the other day, there are three eyewitnesses to testify that Harvey punched Fred.”
Lillian nodded. “You have to forgive me for being so harsh with you. We were all in shock, you know.”
Nora nodded, wondering how Lillian would react once the truth about Fred’s poisoning came out. Or did she already know? There was something odd in the way she had suddenly become friendly to Nora. Then again, perhaps she was telling the truth - she’d been flustered and angry the day before and was now a little calmer and friendlier.
“To be honest, Derek talked it over with me,” Lillian said. “He told me it would be a shame to send a man like Harvey away to prison for a long time for a simple accident. He made me see reason. It’s not your fault or Harvey’s that Fred is gone. It’s just a tragic accident. Yesterday, I was shocked and angry at the death of my friend and wanted revenge in a way. Today I’m calmer. It’s the same with Rowan. Only, since it’s his father, he’s taking longer to get over his anger. With time, he’ll see things the way the rest of us do. He’ll see that it’s not really Harvey’s fault. So don’t worry about the lawsuit. We won’t burden you much. As for me, I’ll even tell the lawyers that I think it was an accident. That should help the jury show leniency.”
“Thank you.” Nora found a smile spreading over her face. Right now, knowing what she did, she wasn’t really worried about lawsuits or Harvey going to jail. But, if Lillian didn’t know about Fred’s poisoning and still thought Harvey was at fault, well, then Lillian was being very charitable in trying to reassure Nora. Derek, too. After all, he had no reason to help Nora or Harvey, yet he’d convinced his mother to do so.
Ah, but what if she did know somehow? A warning voice rose in the back of Nora’s mind. What if Lillian knew perfectly well that Fred had been poisoned, and that it was only a matter of time before Harvey was released? In that case, it would be very smart of her to win over Nora’s goodwill.
“With Fred gone, will Rowan take over as CEO?” Nora asked.
“I assume so,” Lillian said. “Of course, we haven’t had any proper discussions about business yet. It’s too early, you know.”
“Rowan worked with you and Fred, didn’t he?” Nora asked. “Was he any good at his job?”
“Oh, yes.” Lillian nodded. “He’s a lot more cautious than Fred was. Fred could be downright reckless in the pursuit of what he wanted. But Rowan’s just as smart as his father. He’s inexperienced though. He needs a good mentor.”
“I hope you can be that for him.” Nora smiled.
“I intend to help in any way that I can,” Lillian said. “In a strange way, even though Fred’s death is very tragic, it may help the company to grow even bigger and better than ever. Rowan has a fire in his belly now, and he’s open to new ideas. That’s always a sure sign of potential growth.”
“What do you mean?” Nora asked.
“Just that good things may come out of bad,” Lillian explained. “Or maybe I’m just trying to cheer myself up.”
“I’m sure good things will come out of all this,” Nora agreed. “And, as you said, you’ll be helping Rowan. I’m sure you’ve got ideas to make the company grow, too.”
Lillian nodded eagerly. “I’ve got so many great ideas about how to run things, you’re right,” she said. “Fred never was a good listener. Rowan, on the other hand, is different. He respects me, and he can be persuaded more easily.”
“Ah, but it won’t just be Rowan, will it?” Nora asked. “Dana’s going to help Rowan, surely.”
Lillian laughed. “Dana? Oh, no. She has no interest in work. She’s never worked a day in her life. She’ll only be interested in spending the money. Rowan and I will be handling everything at the company. Trust me on that.”
“Did Rowan actually want to lead?” Nora asked. “Or is he just going along with his fate? So many kids just blindly follow the path that’s been set for them.”
“Oh, no. Rowan’s passionate about the company,” Lillian said. “In fact, he and Fred had so many fights about the direction the company was taking. Fred wanted to grow aggressively, while Rowan thought we should focus on creating a long-lasting and stable company with a solid base. They have…had…very different philosophies.”
“Rowan fought with his father?” Nora asked casually.
Lillian rolled her eyes. “I was always in the middle, trying not to hurt either one’s feelings. I tell you, they call women ‘the weaker sex’, but men get their feelings hurt so much more easily. Women are more practical. We compromise. Men, on the other hand…it’s ‘my way or the highway’ and, if it doesn’t work out their way, they sit and sulk.”
“Rowan wasn’t pleased about Fred and Adriana either, was he?” Nora asked. “Did he get annoyed when Adriana tried to butt into the business?”
Lillian instantly fired up and Nora could see she’d touched a sore spot.
“Adriana was a pest! She was always poking her nose where it didn’t belong. If you’re going to be a gold digger, you should have the sense to leave your man’s business alone and go do your nails or something. But Adriana is so full of herself. She had the nerve to suggest improvements to my department. My department. Can you imagine?”
“Lucky Fred didn’t marry her, eh? She’d have been unbearable.” Nora smiled.
“I would have quit if he’d married her. Honestly. Rowan would have left the house totally,” Lillian said. “I told him so, too. I told him, ‘Fred, old boy, I don’t care what you do with your personal life, but if you marry that girl and bring her into the business, that’s it for me.’ Rowan agreed with me totally. He told his father that Adriana had to stay out of the business. He also told his father not to marry Adriana without a prenuptial contract.”
“Did Fred agree?” Nora asked. “After all, he might have been blindly in love with Adriana but he can’t have been such a fool as to think it would be a good idea to bring her into the business?”
“Well, to be honest, Fred could be an idiot sometimes,” Lillian said. “There’s no other way to put it. He was head over heels for Adriana and that was that. I don’t know what spell she’d spun on him. It was like witchcraft. He was highly offended that we were implying Adriana was only dating him for his money. He claimed it wasn’t about the money at all and that she really loved him.” Lillian laughed. “Fred was the smartest man I know but, if he really believed that, well, then I guess he wasn’t so smart, was he?”
“Well, it’s all about the ego, isn’t it? If a man is insecure about getting older, he needs to believe that a young and beautiful woman can still fall passionately in love with him. We can all be fools when it comes to love.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” Lillian sighed. “Still, it surprised me that he was so adamant she wasn’t with him for his money when it was obvious to the rest of us. He was just bewitched. Like I said, he’d had flings before. We were all okay with that. But marriage?! It would have been a huge disas—” Lillian suddenly cut herself off. A frown crossed her face. “Why are you so interested?” she asked suddenly, suspicion written plain on her face. “You shouldn’t care about Fred’s love life, you should care about your own. Harvey is in jail after all. What are you up to?”
“She’s trying to trap you, Lillian. That’s what she’s up to.” A stone-faced Rowan emerged from a room up the hall. “Don’t fall for her innocent face. Nora’s cunning as a fox.”
“Rowan?” Lillian looked confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Harvey didn’t kill my father,” Rowan said, his hands clenching and unclenching. “My father was poisoned. And Nora thinks it was one of us. Don’t you, Nora?”
Rowan knew? Nora felt a pit open up in her stomach. How could he know? Had the sheriff changed his mind and called internal affairs, after all? Had Tina’s arm-twisting of Joey been revealed?
And, if so, what would happen to Harvey now?
*****
Chapter 15
Money, Money, Money
There was a horrible silence. For a minute, Nora and Lillian could only stare blankly at Rowan. Rowan, himself, looked very disturbed. His hair was raked backwards, as though he’d been running his hands through it over and over. His unshaven face had shadows that made him look far older than he was. Even his clothes showed his mental state - baggy sweatpants and an old college t-shirt instead of the smart khakis and shirts he was normally in.
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