Bound for murder, p.10
Bound for Murder, page 10
“Yes?” Zelda bounced in her chair.
Uh-oh. Better backtrack if I want to keep her from proclaiming them a couple. “Oh, it’s nothing. He seems like a nice guy. Devoted to the facts, which is always good. He claims he’s determined to uncover the truth but isn’t going to throw anyone under the bus to do so.”
“Sounds like my kind of guy.” Walt, stroking his chin with his long fingers, appeared lost in thought. “Maybe you could introduce us? I’ve been waiting for years for someone to really look into Jeremy’s disappearance.”
“Didn’t the authorities do that back when he was declared missing?” I held up my finger when I heard Bethany call out my ticket number. “Hold that thought. Let me grab my order and I’ll be right back.”
At the counter, I paid for the sandwiches and asked Dan, who was waiting, to join me at Zelda and Walt’s table once he had his own order.
“Now, Walt,” I said, as I sat down beside Zelda again. “Tell me more about the investigation into Jeremy’s disappearance. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about it before.”
“I don’t usually say much.” Walt ran one hand over his closely cropped black-and-silver hair. “Honestly, there isn’t that much to say.”
“Walt thinks the authorities botched the case,” Zelda said, giving his other hand a pat. “Don’t you, dear?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I admit they didn’t have a lot to go on. My aunt didn’t even report Jeremy missing until several months after he supposedly disappeared. I’d gotten this call from him, you see. A month or so after he apparently left that commune out at Vista View.”
I knew this but gave him a questioning look anyway. Not knowing whether it was supposed to be a secret, I didn’t think I should tell either Walt or Zelda that Aunt Lydia had shared this story with me.
“The truth is,” Walt continued, “Jeremy hadn’t stayed in touch after leaving home. He pretty much flew the coop right after his high school graduation and only contacted the family once or twice before I got that call from him. We knew he was living on the commune, but he never came to see us during that time and discouraged us from visiting him. So not hearing from him for a while wasn’t that odd.”
“But then you didn’t hear from him at all?”
Walt nodded. “That’s right, and after he had told me to be sure and let my aunt know he’d phone her on her birthday. When that day came and went and there was no call, she started to get worried. He may not have been one to stay in touch, but Jeremy would never have promised something like that and not followed through.”
I clutched the white paper takeout bag between my hands. “That’s when your aunt reported him missing?”
“Soon thereafter.” Walt looked up and over my shoulder. “Well, how about that—just the man I wanted to meet.”
I scooted over as Dan Dane pulled out the fourth chair at the table. “Sorry to intrude, but Amy invited me over. Daniel Dane,” he added, thrusting out his hand.
Walt clasped the younger man’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Walter Adams. Very nice to meet you, Mr. Dane.”
“Call me Dan, please. And I’m happy to meet you too. You’re Jeremy Adams’s first cousin, aren’t you?”
“Yes, he is.” Zelda lifted her chin and met Dan’s inquisitive gaze. “And I’m Zelda Shoemaker. I never met his cousin, but I heard a lot about him when Walt and I were kids.”
“Pleasure,” Dan said, leaning over the table to shake her hand as well.
“Walt was just telling me about the initial investigation into Jeremy’s disappearance,” I said as Dan sat back in his chair.
“What little there was of it.” Walt’s bitter tone made me glance over at him with surprise.
“Sadly, they didn’t do much,” Dan said. “Of course, he was a young hippie with no permanent address. I guess they thought it wasn’t that odd for him to be out of contact with his family.”
“And he was poor, and black.” Walt leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “From what I can tell, the search was pretty cursory. At least, I’ve never seen evidence that they did much more than ask a few people about his possible whereabouts. But maybe you know more about the search than I do, Dan. I’ve been following your articles about the people missing from this area.”
“I’ve been able to dig up more information on the movements of some of the other missing people, but I’m afraid I’ve never found out much about Jeremy.” Dan poured a small puddle of ketchup onto his plate.
“He called and told you he was headed out to LA, right?” I asked Walt.
“Yes, he claimed he was calling from the road.”
The bag crinkled under my fingers. “Which makes it weird that his body turned up here.”
“Walt and I think he must’ve returned for some urgent reason,” Zelda said. “To meet with someone, maybe?”
“Who could’ve been the someone who killed him,” Walt said darkly. He narrowed his brown eyes. “Perhaps that’s an angle you could investigate, Dan. Why Jeremy returned, and who he came to see. Because I don’t think that anything except an emergency involving a close acquaintance would’ve pulled him away from LA at that point.”
Dan finished off a couple of french fries before answering. “Good point. I’ll have to look into that.”
Walt toyed with his fork. “There was another thing—something I never shared with the authorities. Jeremy told me he’d meant to give me a copy of his demo reel containing all his original songs. He said he’d left too quickly to get it to me, but he would mail it. I know I should’ve told the sheriff’s deputies about that package so they could’ve checked to see if it was sent, but then it never arrived, and”—Walt looked up, meeting Dan’s intense gaze—“well, I was just a kid, and it made me angry, him just forgetting like that. That unfulfilled promise fed into my despair over his disappearance from my life, so I was always too angry to ever mention it. I guess it’s far too late to track anything like that now.”
I stared down at my white paper bag as if it held all the secrets in the universe. The bag crackled as I tightened my grip. I wanted to tell Walt I could give him his copy, but realized I shouldn’t. If Walt thought it was something that could’ve helped the initial investigation into Jeremy’s disappearance, I had to share it, and Ruth’s involvement, with Brad Tucker instead. I made a mental note to call and see if I could drop by his office after work.
“That’s too bad.” Dan placed the uneaten burger he’d lifted to his mouth back on his plate. “I’d love to have been able to listen to it.”
“Me too.” Walt sat back in his chair.
“But I promise I’ll follow up on that lead, even though it is rather tenuous,” Dan said, looking around as a wail of sirens filled the street outside the diner.
Elspeth Blackstone leapt to her feet and rushed over to the door, followed by several other customers.
The diner’s owner, Bethany Virts, a small, wiry young woman with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, leaned over the counter and called out, “What’s going on out there?”
Mr. Dinterman popped in the front door, his face ashen. “Just down the street. Apparently there’s been a robbery or something.” He twisted his bony hands together. “And Ruth Lee … Well, she’s been shot.”
The dining room erupted into chaos, with everyone talking over each other. A couple of older women burst into tears. Moving closer to Zelda, Walt slid his arm around her shoulders.
Camille Blackstone, Elspeth and Bob’s older daughter, ran into the diner shouting that Ruth was dead. In the silence that fell after this announcement, Camille added that she’d overheard the deputies say they weren’t sure exactly when the break-in had happened.
“Her ‘Closed, opening at ten AM’ sign was still hanging on the front door,” Camille said. “They think the robbery might’ve happened last night and no one noticed until this afternoon. They said Ruth probably didn’t have any customers this morning, and she lived alone above the shop, so …” Camille shrugged her narrow shoulders.
I let fly an obscenity that made Zelda shoot me a disapproving look. But I didn’t care. My stomach was churning. I’d just spent time with the woman the day before, which made her death feel all too real to me.
And to make things worse, you saw P.J. Fields lurking outside her shop … I took a deep breath before tightening my lips. I had to remain calm. Of course I’d have to share that information with the authorities, but I certainly wasn’t going to blurt it out in front of Elspeth Blackstone and her cronies.
“She was shot?” one female customer shrieked. “Murdered? Right here in town?”
“That’s enough. We don’t know all the details, so please, let’s not discuss this anymore.” Bethany’s narrow face was pinched with dismay.
I cast her a sympathetic glance. Bethany, whose mother had been murdered only a year and a half before, undoubtedly still had a hard time hearing this type of news.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Elspeth’s sharp voice rang out. “I bet it’s that hippie-dippie Fields family again, mixed up in more criminal activities.”
“Now, wait a minute.” I took two strides forward before Walt grabbed my arm.
“Let me handle this,” he said under his breath. Releasing me, he stepped into the center of the room and spoke to the cluster of diners in a clear, commanding voice. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t know what happened.”
“It’s downright suspicious.” Elspeth placed her hands on her slender hips and faced off with him. “I know for a fact that Ruth Lee once lived on that commune run by Carol and P.J. Fields out at Vista View. I bet they’re mixed up in her death, as well as that Jeremy Adams business. It’s just too much of a coincidence, two commune members dying under suspicious circumstances.” She turned to face the group at her table. “And Sunny Fields wants people to elect her as mayor? I say that takes some cheek.”
Zelda jumped up so quickly that her chair fell backward and clattered against the hard floor. “Don’t you dare turn this into something about Sunny.”
“Now, Zel,” Walt said, casting her a warning glance.
Zelda bustled around the table to stand beside him. “Some poor woman is dead, and all you can think to do is tear down other people just to help your husband’s campaign.” She shook her finger. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Elspeth Blackstone.”
“I’m not ashamed to speak the truth,” Elspeth replied, fixing Zelda with an imperious glare.
“But we don’t have all the facts, so we don’t know what really happened yet,” Walt said in an even tone. He glanced from Zelda’s furious face to Elspeth’s smug expression. “How about allowing the authorities to do their job before we start spreading tall tales as the truth?”
Dan, who’d moved around to stand right behind me, muttered, “These small-town mobs, always eager to spread lies.”
I glanced up at him over my shoulder. “It’s not just in small towns.”
Dan didn’t meet my gaze. “I know. Which is why I like to keep my own counsel and seek justice in my own way.”
“Truth and justice do go together,” I agreed, before I slapped my forehead. “Oh my goodness, Sunny! She’ll hear this news soon enough. Some patron is bound to tell her.” I spun around, bumping Dan with my elbow, and grabbed my takeout bag. “Sorry, gotta go. Tell Zelda and Walt goodbye for me, would you?”
I didn’t wait for his reply. Dashing out onto the street, I hurried toward the library. I knew I needed to take over coverage of the desk from Sunny, who would certainly want to rush home.
Lunch would have to wait, or not happen at all. But I didn’t care. Sunny should go home to stay with her grandparents. After all, whatever their involvement in the case, they had lost someone else they’d once known well, and under tragic circumstances. They’d need Sunny to comfort them.
It seemed I couldn’t do much for P.J. and Carol right now, but at least I could give them that.
Chapter Eleven
The nice weather convinced me to spend some time in the garden after work, although I had to wait until I got back from dropping off Jeremy Adams’s CD at Brad Tucker’s office. Of course, I’d also had to dash home and grab the CD before driving over to the sheriff’s department, so I’d ended up missing Brad. But the attendant at the front desk had allowed me to write a note and tape it to the slim black case. He’d also promised he would personally hand-deliver the package to the chief deputy.
Fortunately, the early September days were long enough to allow me some time in the garden before darkness fell. I relished the work, knowing it would clear my head after the events of the day. Swiftly changing into a ratty T-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans, I headed outside.
September meant deadheading roses as well as pruning some of the early-blooming shrubs and pulling up any vegetable plants that had died. I tackled the roses first. I knew they’d keep producing flowers into October or November if I cut back the dead blooms, but it was a time-consuming task. I had to deal with the climbing roses on the fence as well as the bush varieties in the garden.
Then there were the thorns. It didn’t matter if I wore gloves or how careful I was handling the trailing vines, I always ended up getting pricked or scratched. Swearing as another tiny dagger pierced my skin, I didn’t hear the footfalls of someone walking up behind me.
“Hello, Amy,” said a deep masculine voice.
I spun around, clippers at the ready.
“Whoa.” Kurt Kendrick held up his large, knobby-knuckled hands. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you. I rang the doorbell and no one answered, but then I spied you working here along the fence …”
“Sorry.” I locked and pocketed the clippers. “Guess I’m a little jumpy these days.”
“Understandable.” Kurt looked me over. “I’m sure the news about your friend’s family is unsettling, not to mention that terrible incident in town today.”
“Yeah. Anyway, how can I help you? Aunt Lydia is out. She and Zelda are having dinner at some new restaurant over in Smithsburg, and they always talk long into the evening, so I know she won’t be back for a while. But if there’s anything I can do, just ask.”
“It’s actually you I’ve come to see.”
I shoved my floppy straw hat back away from my forehead. “Really? What about?”
“Your inveterate sleuthing. Do you really think that’s wise? I know you’re a researcher, but I believe you’re placing yourself in danger, and that is hardly part of your job description.” Kurt’s blue eyes narrowed. “Yes, I know you’re helping the sheriff’s office again with some research, and also tracking down some of the former commune members for Carol and P.J. Fields.”
“How do you …?” I shook my head. “Never mind; I should realize by now that you know almost everything that goes on in Taylorsford.”
Kurt lips curled away from his large white teeth. “Yes, you should. But really, Amy”—his grin immediately faded—“you are treading into dangerous waters with this particular investigation.”
“Unlike the others?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Exactly like the others, which is why I’m concerned.” Kurt shuffled his feet.
That sign of nerves from the typically self-possessed older man was enough to capture my attention. “Would you like to sit down?” I motioned toward the garden.
“Yes, thank you.” Kurt turned and strode over to one of the white-painted benches placed at the edges of the garden beds.
I followed more slowly, pondering what would drive the enigmatic art dealer to issue such a direct warning. “Have your little birds tweeted information that indicates some immediate danger?” I asked as I took a seat next to Kurt.
“No, it’s my own specific knowledge.” Kurt ran one hand through his thick white hair. “You know I dealt drugs back in the day, before I got into dealing art.”
“Yes, and I suspect you were active in this area.”
“I was. Before and for a little while after I left Paul Dassin’s home.” Kurt’s head was turned away from me, his gaze focused on the back of Richard’s house.
“And I imagine you knew many of the other dealers.”
“Obviously. The truth is, despite the times, they were not all … adherents of a philosophy of peace and love, if you catch my drift.”
I studied his rugged profile. “I do. Are you saying you suspect one of them of murdering Jeremy Adams? I’ve heard that theory already, from a few of the former commune members.”
When Kurt glanced over at me, his stare was so intense that I scooted to the opposite end of the bench.
“You must concede that it’s a possibility,” he said. “And I’m not just talking about the Adams case. There’s also Ruth Lee, whose death could be connected to her relationship to Adams.”
“What do you mean? I’m aware they were lovers back in their commune days, but what would that have to do with anything?”
“What if she was somehow mixed up in his death? Or at least knew who had killed him?” Kurt straightened until his back wasn’t touching the bench. “Even if Ruth remained silent for all these years, the killer might have grown concerned that the discovery of Jeremy’s body would loosen her lips. Perhaps Jeremy’s murderer was afraid she knew something about why he was killed. If it had anything to do with his drug use … Well, you must understand—dealers face severe criminal penalties if they’re caught. Significant jail time is often a consequence. If any of them feared this new investigation into Jeremy’s death might expose their current illegal operations, it could drive them to do whatever it took to protect themselves.”
“Even commit murder?” I met his fierce glare without blinking but had to clasp my hands in my lap to still their trembling.
Is he talking only about others? Or was he involved in silencing a difficult client or two himself? My fingernails dug into my palms. It’s impossible to tell.
“Yes,” Kurt said shortly. He lapsed into silence as the chirping of an unseen bird filled the air. “And you should know, my dear,” he said at last, “that sadly, once one has taken the life of another human being, it’s far easier to kill again.”
