Murder in Kincaid Towers

by Jane T O'Brien

  “Sir, you need to get some sleep, would you like me to pour you a brandy to settle your nerves?”

  “No, Carter, there will be plenty of time for sleep when this is over. You don’t have to stay here, go home and get some rest yourself.”

  “If you don’t mind sir, I’ll retire to one of the guest rooms. You might need something before morning and I want to be available to you. I’ve opened the large guest room for you, I didn’t think you’d want to sleep in your bed tonight.”

  “Thanks, Carter, I’ll be fine on the sofa. If this is truly a kidnapping, I want to be awake if they call again,” said Travis.

  Despite Travis’s resolve to stay alert, he dozed fitfully in the quiet of his living room.

  “This security tape proves Travis Kincaid was with the victim before she was murdered, sir,” said Cal Taylor.

  “I can see a resemblance to Kincaid, Cal, however, I’m not convinced he’s our guy. Look at the ill-fitting coat and the hat. I’d venture to say Travis Kincaid doesn’t own a piece of clothing that looks like this. You’ve seen pictures of him in the papers and on television, it’s obvious he’s an impeccable dresser. Not only that, when has there ever been talk of any type of altercation where this man is concerned? The injury to the victim’s head indicates a blow made in anger. I’d believe that behavior of Francis Kincaid but not his son.”

  “Is it because the guy’s loaded, Abe? Are you concerned the mayor will give you a hard time if you charge the richest man in Hillsboro of murder?”

  “Cal, I’ll chalk that remark up to the lateness of the day. I plan to call Mr. Kincaid in for questioning but it can wait until morning. Let’s both go home and get some sleep.”

  Brooke was exhausted as were Molly and Luke. “Why don’t you stay in our spare bedroom tonight, Brooke? I don’t want you to wake up alone. Luke and I will be here if you need anything during the night.”

  Brooke didn’t argue, she wasn’t anxious to sleep in the bed she shared occasionally with Travis. Is it possible he’s not only a liar but a murderer too? Brooke fell asleep with that thought running through her mind.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Travis woke to the sound of the intercom and was surprised to see the sun shining through his penthouse window. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep.

  “Mr. Kincaid, I hope I didn’t wake you,” said Tim Baxter, the day shift doorman at Kincaid Towers.

  “It’s fine Tim, what do you need?”

  “Detectives Wentworth and Taylor are here, shall I send them up, sir?”

  Panic came over Travis when he realized the kidnapper might be watching and think he involved the police.

  “No, Tim, don’t send them up, I’ll come down there.”

  Travis rushed to the guest room where Carter was sleeping and woke him.

  “Carter, call Luke Sullivan ask him to come to the penthouse, he can negotiate with the kidnappers, you know enough about the transactions from yesterday to fill him in. I can’t let the kidnappers think I’ve contacted the police. I want them to believe I’m being arrested for Adele’s murder.”

  “Will do, sir.” Carter didn’t waste any time calling Luke.

  “Detectives, if you aren’t here to arrest me for the murder of Adele Markley, I’m asking you to cuff me and call backup with their sirens blaring. I will explain when we reach the station; a child’s life could be in danger.”

  “Kincaid, what kind of scam are you pulling?” asked Cal Taylor.

  “Hold on, Cal, I’m not sure it’s a scam, Mr. Kincaid is serious about the danger, aren’t you son?”

  “Yes, I can’t give you the details until we leave the building.”

  “Call for two or three patrol cars with sirens sounding and lights flashing, that should be enough to call attention to Mr. Kincaid’s arrest.”

  As planned, Travis Kincaid was led out of the building in handcuffs amid police cars in emergency mode. People walking past the building snapped photos of the arrest on their cell phones.

  Carter watched from the window of the penthouse and immediately tweeted the news of Travis Kincaid’s arrest.

  “Wake up you imbecile, Travis Kincaid has been arrested for the murder of the girl. Joseph, you are an idiot why did you have to go and kill her. How are we going to get our money now?”

  “Don’t you mean my money? I’m Francis Kincaid’s bastard son, not you. I’m sick of you calling me names. After they fry my brother for his wife’s murder, I’ll claim my fortune and you can’t do anything about it.”

  “Calm down, Joseph, we are in this together. It’s because of me that you know who your daddy is. You can’t do this on your own, you need me.”

  It was a chance meeting between the woman and Joseph Tucker. She was visiting her cousin, Mavis, in Charleston when Mavis insisted they stop in a dumpy dive outside of town. It was obvious Mavis was a frequent visitor to the saloon because several of the men sitting at the bar called out her name when the cousins walked through the door.

  “Mavis, let’s get out of here, those men are staring at us.”

  “They’re nice guys, you should be happy they are looking at you with that oversized t-shirt you have on. Buy some tank tops, you don’t look your age and your figure isn’t too bad, you could snag yourself a husband with a little cleavage.”

  “I’m a very stylish dresser when I’m at work but I’m on vacation now and I like the way I look. I’m not in the market for a husband and especially one of those losers.”

  “That’s right, you’ve only had one love in your life, the old rich guy who didn’t know you existed. He’s dead now and your fantasies about him should have died along with him.”

  “Shut up, Mavis, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m leaving, if you want to stay in this dump, be my guest.”

  She turned to walk out of the bar when she heard a guitar playing in the background.

  “Don’t leave,” said Mavis, “Stay and listen to Joey Tucker, he’s really good.”

  She looked over her shoulder and gasped. It could be Travis Kincaid standing there. What did Mavis call him? Joey Tucker? Is it possible his mother is Ellie Tucker? I know she was from someplace in South Carolina. Did she move back home when she left Hillsboro? Could this kid be Francis’s son?

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said Mavis.

  “I think I have.”

  After several songs, Joey took a break. He sat at the end of the bar drinking a bottle of beer when she approached him.

  “Young man, you look very familiar, is it possible Ellie Tucker is your mother?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Ellie Tucker was my ma all right. How did you know her? I haven’t seen you around these parts before.”

  “You said Ellie was your mother? What happened to her?”

  “Ma died last year; it was the cancer that got her.”

  “I’m sorry, son, you must be all alone in the world.”

  “I reckon I am, I don’t care, I like it this way.”

  She couldn’t wait to leave the bar and go to her motel room to figure out a plan. Although Mavis invited her to stay with her, the woman didn’t like Mavis well enough to spend every waking hour with her.

  There was little she didn’t know about Travis and his life. The woman had a knack for being at the right place at the right time and overhearing private conversations. She sat at the desk in her room at the Marriott thinking about Travis’s wife rotting away in a mental institution. He thinks his marriage is a well-kept secret, but he is wrong, she snickered while dangling her flip-flop off the edge of her toes. The idea was such a simple one, she couldn’t believe it hadn’t come to her while she was in the bar earlier.

  Mavis was right about her attire, she knew the gift shop carried various items of clothing that would be more fitting for putting her plan into motion.

  After purchasing a casual but expensive dress and a pair of sandals, she called a cab to drive her to the dive outside of town.

  She told the driv
er to be back in thirty minutes, she didn’t think it would take her that long to convince Joey Tucker to go along with her plan.

  “Ma’am, is that you? Wow, you look terrific. What can Joey do for you?” he said with a sneer that made her skin crawl.

  “I’m here to help you, Joey, what would you say if I told you I can set you up with a gig in Nashville? Not in some sleazy joint like this but a high-class country western venue.”

  “What’s in it for you, lady?”

  “I want you to do me a tiny favor. Are you squeamish about being around people in a mental institution?”

  “Nope, after a few years in a dump like this, they can’t be any crazier than the nut cases that come in here.”

  “Good, I want you to apply for a job at the Bainbridge Center, it’s a swanky place near the ocean. You can apply for a job in the cafeteria but if my plan works, you will be singing for the patients before your first week is out.”

  “Hey, I don’t cook, how am I supposed to pass myself off as a chef?”

  “You can wash a dish, can’t you? You won’t be cooking just spooning food on dishes. You can handle that, can’t you? Another thing, I want you to use your given name of Joseph.”

  “Ma’s Aunt Harriet called me Joseph and I hated the old bat, I don’t like that name.”

  “You can use whatever name you like when you get to Nashville.”

  She knew she had him with the mention of Nashville again. She couldn’t get over the uncanny resemblance to Travis. He didn’t have Travis’s brain, however, that would work out better for her plan.

  Brooke awoke from a nightmare and quickly remembered it wasn’t a dream. Travis’s wife was dead, and she was a suspect. Travis’s wife…how could she be so gullible? It never occurred to her that the man she loved was married.

  Molly tapped softly on her door. “Brooke, are you awake?”

  “Yes, Molly, I’m awake, come in.”

  “I didn’t want you to see the news on your iPhone before I talked to you.”

  “Am I the headline of the day...disgruntled mistress arrested for the murder of the great Travis Kincaid’s wife?”

  “No, it’s Travis. He was taken to the police station in handcuffs although he’s not a suspect.”

  “You mean he confessed to a murder he didn’t commit? He even lied about that?” Brooke’s eyes filled with tears.

  “It’s a tactic he and the police are using to protect an innocent baby. Travis didn’t tell you about his wife because your relationship had become important to him and he was afraid you wouldn’t forgive him if you knew about Adele.”

  “Molly, you sound like you are defending the rat. You told me he was trouble, why the change of heart?”

  “I know I was hard on him and I didn’t trust him before I knew the whole story. Travis and Adele were in a relationship in college. They drifted apart after graduation and he hadn’t heard from her until last year. She called him in a panic because her father wanted to marry her off to a man over twice her age. Travis’s solution was to marry her himself. When the newlyweds flew to South Carolina to tell Adele’s father their news, he collapsed and died. Adele blamed herself and Travis for his death and was subsequently admitted to the hospital because of mental health issues she had before she married Travis.

  “Adele refused Travis’s visits and after several months, he gave up trying to see her. What he didn’t know, is Adele became pregnant during their two days together. She had the baby and refused to name Travis as the father and refused to permit her doctor to contact Travis.”

  “Are you telling me Travis did know about the baby?”

  “No, he didn’t, and the child has been kidnapped. The kidnappers have demanded five million dollars for the baby’s return. Travis was warned not to call the police, so when they showed up at Kincaid Towers to question him, he asked them to arrest him. Detective Wentworth believed him and arranged to have patrol cars at the entrance to the building to call attention to the arrest. They hoped to throw the kidnappers off to save the baby from harm.”

  “Oh, Molly, poor Travis. I’m still furious with him, but I’m sure he is terrified for his baby. What can we do to help?”

  “Luke is at the penthouse now waiting for the ransom money to be delivered. We hope word of Travis’s so-called arrest has reached the kidnappers and they will accept Luke as a substitute for Travis.”

  “So, whoever killed Travis’s wife took the baby. I don’t think there was a baby in the penthouse when I found the woman. He or she must have used the back stairs to avoid calling attention to themselves. How do you know the baby was there at all?”

  “Carter found a pacifier and there is a recording of a baby crying from a surveillance camera.”

  “A surveillance camera? Does it show the person who killed Adele?”

  “No, unfortunately, it only shows the back of a sofa.”

  “Do you think they will let me see Travis?”

  “I don’t know, maybe it’s best that we stay here and wait to hear from Luke.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Now what? Miss know-it-all, my brother has been arrested for murdering his wife. How is he supposed to get all that money to us?” said an irritated Joey Tucker.

  “Shut up and let me think. Carter Moss is Travis’s boy. He knows everything Travis does and I’m sure he knows about the ransom money. If I’m right, he is at the penthouse now waiting for Travis’s bankers to deliver that lovely money to him.”

  “It’s time for another call, I’ll handle it, you can’t be trusted, Joseph.”

  I hate that old bat when this is over, I’ll get rid of her like I did Adele and take the money for myself.

  Three months before, Joseph Tucker applied for a job at the Bainbridge Center.

  She made him cut his hair, shave his beard, and remove his earrings. He was hired after a background check that showed nothing of his questionable past. It wasn’t as though he was clean, he had simply never been caught.

  Joseph didn’t like washing dishes although he did it knowing this was a way of getting to Nashville and becoming a famous country singer. While he scrubbed the dishes clean, he pictured himself with fans screaming for him, young girls lifting their shirts and beautiful women surrounding him. After the dishes were cleaned and put away, he sat in the lounge area and began playing his guitar and singing quietly. The director of the facility heard him and noticed the residents responded to his music. He was hired as a musical therapy specialist and that is where he met Adele Markley Kincaid.

  Adele was in her ninth month of pregnancy and found Joseph’s music to be soothing. She knew she was getting better and would be released soon after her baby was born. She stopped blaming herself for her father’s death but wasn’t ready to see Travis yet. Adele knew she hadn’t been fair to him, not letting him know about the baby. Someday, when she was out of here and her little girl was born, she would tell him about the baby. Until then, she would listen to Joseph’s songs.

  Joseph played his part well, he knew Adele had a crush on him and that was the plan. He didn’t care for her enormous belly and couldn’t get himself to seduce her in that condition. It was a good thing because if he was caught boinking a resident, he could forget his job at the center and Nashville too.

  Adele’s baby was born in the early hours of the morning before Joseph arrived for work. He was glad he’d missed the birth and sorry when he walked into her room and watched as the infant was glommed onto her breast.

  “Joseph, come see my little Lucy.”

  Joseph wanted nothing more than to turn on his heel and run the other way, the only thing that stopped him was reciting the word Nashville over in his mind.

  “I’ll come back when you are done here, Adele. You need privacy.”

  “Don’t be silly, Lucy and I don’t mind, I think she’s fallen asleep anyway.” Adele put the baby over her shoulder and gently patted her back. Joseph knew he would never erase the image of Adele nursing the baby from his mind an
d was glad he had an excuse not to make love to her while she was in this place.

  Lucy stayed in Adele’s room while she was a resident of the center. Dr. Pembroke thought the baby was aiding in Adele’s recovery.

  Eventually, Adele was released and moved into her new house with Lucy. Joseph told her he loved but couldn’t move in with her until after they were married.

  Adele was ecstatic when Travis asked that they end their marriage. She knew she had been unfair to him not telling him about Lucy. She would tell him someday but for now, she was eager to give the news to Joseph.

  “What am I supposed to do now? Marry the girl? She doesn’t nurse the kid anymore, something about not having enough milk. Damn, even the thought of it makes me want to puke. I can’t get the picture of that baby sucking on her tit out of my mind.”

  “Joseph, you don’t have to marry her, you must convince her to tell Travis about the baby. If I know

  Travis, he will want to be a part of the child’s life. That’s where you show up and demand he share his wealth with his father’s bastard son. That’s you, Joseph.”

  “What if he doesn’t want anything to do with the kid, not that I blame him. What do I do then?”

  “He’s going to want the kid and it’s your job to convince Adele to give the baby to Travis for enough money to last us both until we’re old and gray.”

  “Adele’s not going to give him the kid,” said Joseph.

  “That’s where you come in, it’s your job to convince her to give the baby up to start a new life with you. Tell her she’s too unstable to raise a kid and it will be better off with Travis. Then you ‘negotiate’ with Travis. He’ll give you anything you ask for when he finds out you control Adele.”