Double or Nothing (Sword and Lead Book 5)

by Rhiley McCabe

“The police officer who responded to the 911 call said you were the one who found Mr. Lennie’s body?”

  “Yes, I was the one who found him dead in his study,” the chef responded.

  “What took you to Mr. Lennie’s study this morning?” Harry asked.

  “I always serve Mr. Lennie a cup of coffee in his study every morning.”

  “What time did you take the cup of coffee to his room?

  “That was a little past 6 AM because Mr. Lennie was always up before six reading in his study.”

  “And you found him dead?”

  “Yes,” replied the chef.

  “Did you find anything strange in the room this morning?” Harry asked.

  “No, everything was normal. There was nothing strange.”

  “When was the last time you saw Mr. Lennie alive?”

  “Yesterday night before l left the mansion.”

  “What time was that?” Harry asked.

  “That was around 9 PM after I finished preparing dinner.”

  “Did Mr. Lennie show any sign of mood swings or sadness recently?”

  “No, everything was fine with Parker. I didn’t notice anything except that he and his wife were having some issues, but it didn’t seem to affect his mood.”

  Harry noticed that the chef had called his employer by his first name, and that suggested to Harry that Parker must have been friendly with his staff.

  “How long have you been working for Mr. Lennie?” Harry asked.

  “Two years,” replied the chef.

  “How would you describe Mr. Lennie, was he a good boss?”

  “Absolutely,” the chef responded confidently. “Mr. Lennie was an extremely kind boss. He has never raised his voice at me.” The chef began to tear up, and he looked away. “Parker knew all my kids by name. He wasn’t just my employer; he was my friend.”

  “I am sorry for your loss,” Harry said. “Please, can you kindly let the butler know that I would like to interview them right away.”

  The chef nodded and walked away with tears in his eyes.

  * * *

  The butler was a Caucasian man with shiny silver hair. He was in his early sixties, but he had young, inquisitive eyes. The butler had met Harry at the spot he had interviewed the chef, and the butler had kindly requested if they could go into the mansion for the interview.

  The butler led Harry to the tearoom where there were big sofas arranged in a semi-circle. The butler sat at the edge of the sofa, and Harry sat on the opposite side. There was a heavy sadness in the butler’s eyes, but his demeanor remained calm and dutiful.

  “Sorry for your loss,” Harry said.

  The butler nodded.

  “What time did Mr. Lennie return to the mansion yesterday?” Harry asked.

  “He returned to the mansion a few minutes past 9 PM,” the butler responded.

  “I learned there was friction in Mr. Parker’s marriage, are you aware of this?” Harry asked with the hope that the dutiful butler would allow himself the indiscretion of talking about his employer’s private affairs.

  The butler readjusted in his chair, “Just like many marriages, Mr. Lennie’s marriage had its own challenges,” the butler said.

  “How many people live in this mansion?” Harry asked.

  “Myself and Mr. Lennie. Although there are the domestic staff who show up for work daily, they do not reside in the mansion.”

  “Mrs. Lennie doesn’t reside in the mansion?” Harry asked in surprise.

  “No, she does not. She moved out of the mansion six months ago,” the butler responded.

  “Do you know why she moved out of the mansion?” Harry asked.

  The butler hesitated for a few seconds before replying, “As I said, Mr. Lennie’s marriage had its own challenges.”

  “When was the last time you saw Mr. Lennie?”

  “I last saw Mr. Lennie after supper before he retired for the night.”

  “Were you the last person to see Mr. Lennie alive?” Harry asked.

  “No, I wasn’t,” replied the butler. “Mrs. Lennie arrived at the mansion a few hours after dinner.”

  “Did she meet Mr. Lennie in his study?”

  “I cannot confirm that, but I assume that to be the case since Mr. Lennie was in the habit of spending time in his study before going to bed,” replied the butler.

  “Did Mrs. Lennie visit the mansion frequently since she moved out?”

  “No, but she occasionally visited the mansion.”

  “Was there an increase in her visits recently?”

  “I suppose so. She came around a little more frequently during this last month.”

  “So, you find nothing strange at Mrs. Lennie’s visit yesterday?” Harry asked with the hope of getting an insight into the visits of Parker’s wife and any correlation it might have with his death.

  “No, I don’t consider it to be strange. They are a married couple,” the butler replied, cautiously.

  “Did Mrs. Lennie said anything to you before she left the mansion?”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  “What time did Mrs. Lennie left the mansion?” Harry asked.

  “Mrs. Lennie left the mansion some minutes before midnight,” replied the butler.

  “Did you hear any gunshot sound yesterday?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Did you know notice anything strange about Mr. Lennie recently?”

  The butler smiled and shook his head. “Mr. Lennie was a man who was difficult to read. He never took life too seriously, but he was a sensitive man who rarely spoke about his emotions,” the butler replied.

  Harry thought that the butler’s answers fitted into the suicide theory assumed to be the cause of Parker’s death. He thanked the butler and walked out of the room, while the butler remained seated with his fist beneath his chin.

  At the mansion’s entrance, Harry met the lead forensic officer who told him that the forensics team had found the gun Parker used in killing himself. The officer told Harry it was a 9-millimeter pistol fitted with a silencer. Parker Lennie’s body was already en route to the coroner’s office, where an autopsy would confirm that Parker had taken his own life. Harry thought that if the autopsy confirmed the cause of Parker’s death to be suicide, then this was going to be a shorter case than he had anticipated.

  Detective Harry Rogers walked past the journalists who were gathered in front of the mansion. Some of the journalists walked up to him and asked him some questions, but he walked past them without stopping. Harry remembered the butler’s description of Parker. The butler had described Parker’s personality as what many would refer to as the right ingredients for suicide. Harry could not help but find some personality similarities between Parker and himself, and this unsettled him. Harry knew that all humans had their demons, which they battle daily, but Parker had lost his battle, and he would not live to fight another day. Harry adjusted his rearview and reversed out of Parker Lennie’s mansion.

  CHAPTER 8

  Memphis Police Department

  9 AM, September 16th

  Detective Jones sat in his chair at the Memphis police department, and opposite him was Peyton, who held a cup in his hand. Jones had Justine Gray’s autopsy report in front of him, and he was going through the report with a frown on his face. The report indicated that Justine Gray had died from blood loss and kidney rupture caused by three gunshots to her stomach. The autopsy placed the time of death between 7 PM to 8 PM last night. Immediately after Jones and Peyton left the crime scene the previous day, they had returned to the office, and they logged into the system and pulled up everything they could find on Justine Gray. Justine Gray was a 28-year-old Caucasian with blonde hair, from California. She had no record of arrest, and there wasn’t even a parking ticket to her name. The police database didn’t contain any information that could assist Jones in unraveling Justine’s murder.

  Peyton had carried out a deep Internet dive into Justine’s private life, her relationships, and her career,
but all he found was from after the time when she had become moderately famous. Peyton was able to find an interview Justine had granted one of the magazines she had been on the cover. In the interview, she disclosed that she grew up in foster care in California, and she had no idea who her parents were. She disclosed that she had difficulty fitting in with foster families; hence, she grew up in a foster home with other kids who were in the system. According to the interview, she had rebelled at the age of 16 and left the foster family she had been placed with. After leaving foster care, she went on to work as a waitress, and during that time she slept in the storeroom of the restaurant. It was while she was working as a waitress that she was discovered by a talent scout, and she later went on to become a model. Justine had a spell as a swimsuit model, and during that time, she became famous and appeared in many television interviews and some reality TV shows. During Peyton’s search, he found out that she had dated quite a few celebrities, the last being Spencer Carter, who played for the Memphis Grizzlies. Neither the Internet nor the police database supplied Jones and Peyton with any tangible information that might give them a lead on the murder, and they were both hoping that the autopsy report would be more useful.

  “This report doesn’t contain anything useful,” Jones said as he handed the autopsy report to Peyton.

  “Has the bullet casing retrieved at the crime scene been run through the system yet?” Peyton dropped the report on the table and took a sip of his coffee. “Perhaps forensics might be able to trace the gun to a bullet registered under a name in the system.”

  Jones scratched his head. “If only those sons of bitches would send the report without waiting for me to drive into their fucking office to pick up the report myself,” he replied.

  “What about the CCTV camera at the entrance of the building, as it has been examined?” Peyton asked.

  “I told forensics to retrieve whatever they can from the camera. I think we should probably drive there and get the reports ourselves,” Jones replied.

  Jones got up from his chair and picked up his car keys. Peyton gulped down the remaining contents of the cup and threw it in the bin beside Jones’ desk. Peyton stopped by his desk to pick his pistol and jacket before joining Jones, who was waiting by the elevator.

  “Justine’s housekeeper said that she saw Justine quarreling with her ex-boyfriend the last time he was at her house. Do you think we should pay him a visit?” Peyton said as they walked into the elevator.

  “He would stop to pay him a visit after we leave the lab,” Jones replied.

  “I would have to go back to get his address from the system,” Peyton said with an apologetic voice.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Jones replied with a little smile.

  * * *

  At the forensic lab, Detective Jones waited in the car while Peyton went inside to get the report. Jones told Peyton that he wasn’t in the mood to stomach the bullshit of the nerdy forensics team, so he would remain in the car.

  Peyton returned some minutes later, holding a brown envelope. He opened the car and sat next to Jones.

  “Any luck?” Jones asked immediately Peyton got into the car.

  He handed Jones the envelope, and Jones opened it and brought out a white paper.

  “Not much luck, I’m afraid. The lab said they couldn’t match the bullet to any gun in the system. The CCTV is an old model, and there wasn’t much in it. However, they were able to recover footage of somehow entering and leaving the building the night of the murder. The image on CCTV isn’t clear, and one can barely make out the physical features of the person in the footage. The footage has been sent to your police profile.” Peyton replied.

  “I guess it’s time we pay Spencer Carter a visit,” Jones said before starting the car and driving out of the driveway.

  * * *

  Detective Jones and his partner sat in the waiting section at Memphis Grizzlies’ training facility. Before coming to the training ground, they had earlier been to Spencer Carter’s residence, and his mother told them that he wasn’t home.

  They were offered a cup of coffee by a receptionist, which they declined. Spencer Carter walked into the waiting section with a towel in his hands. Spencer was sweaty and still dressed in his playing kit. He hadn’t bothered to take a shower before meeting Jones. This suggested to Jones that Justine’s death didn’t bother Spencer enough to make him take a break a break from work, and it also suggested that Spencer intended for the meeting to be a brief one.

  “Good morning, Mr. Carter. I’m Detective Jones, and this is my partner Detective Peyton,” Jones said without extending his hand for a handshake.

  “Good afternoon, detectives. How may I help you?” replied Spencer, who remained on his feet.

  “I would like to ask you some questions about Miss Gray’s murder,” Jones said. Spencer nodded. “What is your relationship with Miss Gray?”

  “We used to date,” replied Spencer.

  “How long were you two together?”

  “We dated for a little over a year.”

  “When did you two break up?” Jones asked.

  “About three months ago?” Spencer replied.

  “What was the nature of your split from Miss Gray? Was it an amicable breakup?”

  “I wouldn’t say it was amicable. We some issues, and we couldn’t work it out.”

  “If you don’t mind my asking, what was the nature of these issues?” Jones asked.

  “Usual issues couples have, and I felt she was cheating on me,” Spencer replied.

  “Do you know who she was cheating with?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Do you know anyone who might have any reason to kill Miss Gray?” Jones asked.

  “No, I don’t. Justine was the easy-going type, and I don’t see any reason why anyone would want to hurt her,” Spencer replied.

  “Do you know if she was involved with any dangerous or shady people?”

  “None that I know off.”

  “Do you know if she had any stalkers?”

  “I know she had a lot of admirers, but I can’t remember any case of stalking.”

  “Do you know any of her close friends or colleagues or relations?”

  “Justine doesn’t have any close friends, and I don’t know anything about her family.”

  Detective Jones thanked Spencer Carter and walked out of the training facility. Peyton was a big fan of the Memphis Grizzlies, and he was tempted to ask for Spencer’s autograph, but he knew that it wouldn’t have been inappropriate. Moreover, he didn’t want to risk Jones’ ire. As they were leaving, Jones turned to Peyton and said, “This murder doesn’t just make any sense. So far, everything suggests that it was probably a case of a home invasion gone wrong. And I am beginning to think so too.”

  They entered the car and drove off.

  CHAPTER 9

  Manhattan, New York

  10 AM, September 16th

  Detective Harry Rogers sat in the same seat he sat in the day before in the tearoom of Parker Lennie’s mansion. Mrs. Rebecca Lennie sat on the seat the butler had sat when he interviewed him. Mrs. Lennie wore a black gown, and light makeup that made her blue eyes pop. She was thirty-three years old; four years younger than her husband.

  She had arrived at the mansion yesterday before Harry left, he had seen her, but he decided to wait to interview her. She was most likely the last person to have seen Parker alive, and if there was anyone who could give an insight into why Parker Lennie killed himself, it was going to be his wife.

  Mrs. Lennie had arrived at the mansion looking distraught and devastated. Her bodyguards had surrounded her and kept her away from the waiting cameras of the reporters who had laid siege to the mansion. She had issued a statement to the press through the butler, who also doubled as the mansion’s manager. The statement revealed nothing about the nature of Parker’s death. It only pleaded that the family requested privacy. However, with the number of reporters Harry met at the mansion today, it appeared th
at the plea had fallen on deaf ears.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Harry said.

  “Thank you,” replied Rebecca, who held on to a mug filled with coffee. She held the cup so firmly that it made her knuckles white.

  “I learned you were at the mansion yesterday night and you left quite late. Did you meet with your husband?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “What was the nature of your last conversation with your husband?”

  “We talk about different things. Business and other things.”

  “You moved out of the mansion six months ago. What led to this decision?”

  Rebecca lowered the mug from her lips and lean back into her seat. “My marriage with Parker was going through a rough patch, and I needed a break,” she replied.

  “And you were still taking a break at the time of your husband’s death?” Harry asked.

  “Yes, I was yet to move back into the mansion,” Rebecca responded.

  “You visited the mansion more frequently during the last couple of months. What was the nature of your visits?”

  “Parker and I were trying to work on our marriage.”

  “Did you meet with your husband in his study before his death?”

  “Yes, I met him at his study when I arrived at the mansion. I knew I was going to find him there.”

  “And did you leave him at his study when you left the mansion?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Did you notice anything strange in your husband’s behavior recently? Do you think he was dealing with some psychological issues, or do you know if he saw a therapist or something?”

  Rebecca shook her head and a sad smile formed on her face. “No, I didn’t. Parker was a strong man who rarely spoke about his troubles. He was always listening to other people and solving their problems, but he never shared his worries with anyone.”

  “Do you think he was having financial problems that made him kill himself?”

  Rebecca looked at Harry in surprise. The absurdity of the question almost made it feel like a mockery. “Of course not. Parker had no money-related problems. If he had any money issues, it would be that he had so much of it that he didn’t know what to do with it.”