by Cindy Bell
“Henry, what were you doing at that time?” Luke turned his attention to Henry as he stepped onto the stage. “I know you were preparing for the next scene, but what were you thinking? Did anyone speak to you?”
“I was pacing.” Henry began to pace back and forth. “I usually do before a big scene. There were still a few minutes before the curtain was due to come up. And of course, it hit me that I had to go to the bathroom. I was heading off stage when Jeff thrust the knife at me.”
“Like this.” Jeff held out the knife. “Here, Jill found the knife.”
“Wait, freeze!” Luke held up his hands.
“What?” Jeff gulped and took a step back.
“Jeff, why did you say that Jill found the knife?” Ally narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. “Is Jill the one who gave it to you?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I told you, I didn’t see who it was.” Jeff frowned. “But yes, the person who gave me the knife said, Jill found this, give it to Henry.” He gasped as his eyes widened. “I’d forgotten all about that.”
“And the person who spoke, what did that person sound like?” Luke took a step closer to him.
“I don’t know.” Jeff shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t recall. It was so noisy and chaotic at that time.”
“We could ask Trent.” Ally looked up at the rafters. “He saw Jeff give Henry the knife, so he might have seen who walked away from Jeff.” She studied the ceiling. “But I’m not seeing a place where he could have been. He said he was adjusting the lighting. But there’s nowhere he could have been standing that he would have had a clear view of Jeff and Henry.”
“Maybe he was confused.” Charlotte shrugged.
“He sounded so certain, though.” Ally frowned. “Never mind. I’ll check with him later. The important thing is that we continue with this. So Jeff, you handed the knife to Henry. Henry, what did you do then?” She looked over at him.
“I still had to go to the bathroom, and I knew I had to hurry, so I didn’t even speak to Jeff. I just rushed off stage to the bathroom. I took my belt off along the way and tossed it down on a chair outside the bathroom.” Henry paused in front of the bathroom door, then pointed to the chair beside it. “I knew I would only be a few seconds.”
“Did you notice anyone else around you before you went in the bathroom?” Luke ran his gaze the length of the corridor behind the stage.
“There were lots of people. Leanne yelled at me to get on stage. Jill bolted past me to the props room. A few stagehands ran back and forth. It was crazy.” Henry closed his eyes for a moment. “Martin.”
“Martin, what about him?” Ally stepped closer to him.
“He called out to me to take my time, the show couldn’t go on without us.” When Henry opened his eyes again, tears misted them. “I’d forgotten that he said that. It was kind of him not to be annoyed by my bathroom break.”
“I know this is hard.” Ally touched his shoulder. “When you came back out, was your belt in the same place?”
“No, actually. It had fallen to the floor.” Henry looked at the chair. “I just assumed that I had tossed it down and didn’t get it fully on the chair. So, I picked it up, and put it on as I rushed to the stage. Seconds later, the curtain went up, and our scene began.” He took a deep breath. “I wish I had done anything other than step on that stage.”
“So, the only opportunity anyone had to switch the knives was the short time that Henry was in the bathroom.” Charlotte tapped her fingers against her elbow as she paced.
“We don’t know that anyone switched it.” Luke cleared his throat. “What we do know is that Jeff handed Henry the knife.”
“But Jeff is sure it was the replica.” Ally glanced over at Luke.
“We have no way to prove that.” Luke shrugged. “The only proof we have is Jeff and Henry’s account of how Henry got the knife.”
“What if we assume that someone did switch the knife while Henry was in the bathroom?” Ally walked over to the chair. “Look at this.” She fished her wallet and phone out of her purse. “If I drape my purse on the chair now, it stays put.” She tossed her purse on the chair. “But if I do the same thing with my wallet and phone inside.” She draped it the same way. The purse slid down off the chair. “It’s heavier, so it slides off.”
“I get your point.” Luke nodded as he crossed his arms. “If the real blade was switched for the replica it would have been heavy enough to drag the belt down off the chair. But the belt could have easily slid down for other reasons as well. Henry was in a rush, he said himself he assumed that he hadn’t tossed it onto the chair carefully.”
“You’d rather be convinced that it was me.” Henry shook his head as he stepped back. “All of this was just a total waste of time.”
“Henry.” Luke stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes. “I am not convinced that it was you. I am not convinced of anything. I am just trying to follow the evidence. What are the chances that in that short time someone managed to switch the blades, and no one saw?”
“Actually, I think there’s a pretty good chance of it happening that way.” Charlotte slipped her hand into Jeff’s. “Especially if someone was aware of Henry’s habits. Someone could safely count on him needing a bathroom break just before the scene, and take that opportunity to switch the blades. Someone could have also either been told by Jill that she didn’t put the knife in the lockbox, or perhaps witnessed the fact that she didn’t. We can’t just rule out the idea because it seems unlikely. To me it seems very likely. What better way to sneak the real knife on stage than to wait until the last minute?”
“I’m not ruling anything out.” Luke settled his hands on his hips and regarded all of them with a stern look. “I am here for one reason. That is to find a killer. You all have your own agendas, and I understand that. But as a detective my job is to look at things with clear vision, and follow the evidence. The evidence I have at this time points to the real knife possibly getting into Henry’s hands due to someone giving that knife to Jeff.” He turned his attention directly on Jeff. “If you could give me any details about the person that gave it to you then we might be able to get somewhere on the theory that someone planned all of this and used you and Henry as pawns in a murder plot.”
“Enough!” Jeff threw his hands up in the air. “I came here, I participated in your little reenactment, and all I did was make myself look more guilty. If you don’t want to believe me, then that’s your business. Honestly, until you’re ready to put me in handcuffs again, I’d rather not hear from you, Luke.” He spun on his heel and stalked off towards the exit of the auditorium.
“Jeff!” Charlotte frowned, glanced at Luke, then hurried after Jeff.
“I should be going, too.” Henry took a deep breath, then sighed. “I can’t stand being here.”
“Thank you for coming, Henry.” Ally winced as she watched him walk off. When she turned back to Luke, her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry, Luke. I guess this was a terrible idea. I shouldn’t have brought everyone into this.”
“It wasn’t a terrible idea.” Luke pulled her close. “It just didn’t solve the mystery.” He sighed as he glanced at his phone. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with Jill to try again to confirm whether she told a specific person to give the knife to Jeff, but she hasn’t answered. A few of my patrolmen are still out looking for her. She hasn’t answered her phone or her door. I really need this case to be solved. I’m already beating reporters off my back every time I walk into the station.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I know how stressful this is for you.” Ally cupped his cheek. “You’ll figure this out soon. I have total faith in you.”
“Thanks Ally. That helps.” Luke kissed her cheek, then headed down the steps of the stage.
Left alone on the stage, Ally surveyed her surroundings, as frustration built within her. Once more she looked up at the rafters. What Trent claimed couldn’t be true. So why had he lied? Had he done so deliberately? Had he just g
otten confused? She turned to leave the auditorium just as her grandmother opened the side door.
“Ally, I was just looking for you.” Charlotte held the door open for her granddaughter.
“How’s Jeff?” Ally looked past her into the parking lot.
“He’s upset.” Charlotte frowned. “He feels like Luke is out to get him.”
“He’s really not, Mee-Maw.”
“Hon, I know.” Charlotte sighed as she hugged her granddaughter. “I know Luke is doing his best. But Jeff is having a hard time, and I can understand that, too.”
“I’m going to go find Jill. Maybe she can tell me who she told that she left the knife out, or who might have seen her leave it there. It’s our best lead at the moment. If we can just prove that someone planned all of this, then all of the suspicion will be off Jeff.” She glanced at her phone. “Unfortunately, she’s not answering her phone. Luke said he hasn’t been able to reach her either.”
“Ally, it’s important not to forget that Jill had a motive in all of this, too.” Charlotte frowned. “I should go with you.”
“No, Mee-Maw. Jeff needs you right now. He needs to know that someone is on his side. I’ll be careful with Jill. If it wasn’t Henry, and it wasn’t Jeff, as we both know, then my guess is it had to be Leanne or Jill.” Ally narrowed her eyes. “I’m just not sure that Leanne would be willing to ruin her play.”
“She might be, if it would get her the kind of press and attention that this has.” Charlotte lowered her voice. “Just think about the turnout she will have for the next play she puts on. With all of the media attention on this one, and what happened here, people will show up just to see how it all turned out. She could make a mint.”
“I hadn’t really thought about that.” Ally frowned as she considered the possibility. “Perhaps after she felt rejected by Martin it seemed like a good idea to use him for profit. But I still think it’s a big jump to make. It would take so much planning to pull this off if it happened the way I think it did. Jealousy is usually a crime of passion.”
“It can be. But sometimes it burns slow, sometimes it’s just strong enough to make a person imagine options to solve their problem.” Charlotte glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late. Are you sure you want to check on Jill tonight?”
“Luke seemed concerned. I’m just going to go by the house. He said that she didn’t answer, but maybe she’s scared to answer if it’s a police officer. She might be willing to answer if it’s me.” Ally smiled some. “We were friends once.”
“Good luck. Let me know if you need anything from me.” Charlotte blew her granddaughter a kiss.
Ally headed for her car. She decided that she would stop by the cottage since it was on the way to Jill’s house. She wanted to be sure that Arnold and Peaches had dinner. When she arrived, she found her pets eager to greet her. Ally gave them each a brief pet, but she hurried through getting their dinner ready. When Arnold snorted at the back door she popped it open for him. Her cell phone rang at the same moment that she set their dishes on the floor. She reached for it, but it slipped from her hand and hit the floor. As she scrambled to grab it, she hurried for the front door.
“Luke?” She spoke into the phone. “Are you there?”
Ally sighed as she realized she’d missed the call. She called him back, but he didn’t answer. She hurried to her car. She didn’t want to be delayed. She knew that the later it got the less likely it would be that Jill would be willing to talk to her. If it was important, she was sure that Luke would call her back. As she drove in the direction of Jill’s house, she hoped that she would be able to get some answers from her.
Chapter 15
Jill’s house wasn’t far from the cottage. Ally could recall times that they had spent together when they were young, riding bikes, and playing hopscotch. It struck her for the first time how much time had passed. Time had drawn them in different directions in life, but those memories were something that they would always share. She just hoped they wouldn’t be tainted by the discovery that Jill’s fury at Martin’s callous behavior had turned into a murderous rage. The thought left her unsettled. In fact, her nerves were incredibly on edge.
Ally slowed down as she turned onto Jill’s street. She parked in the street in front of the single-story house. She stared at it for a moment. It was the same house that Jill grew up in, and again memories surfaced of their friendship. She pushed them from her mind. She couldn’t afford to be biased by things that happened in the past. As she turned the car off, she noticed Jill’s car in the driveway. If she was home, why wasn’t she answering her phone? She stepped out of the car and walked slowly up the driveway. As she passed the car she peeked in through the windows. Everything looked normal inside. She looked up towards the door of the house and wondered if Jill might have spun into some kind of depression. Maybe that was why she didn’t answer her phone, she didn’t feel up to speaking to anyone.
Ally continued to the door and reached up to knock on it. After several moments passed, she knocked again, harder. She allowed a few minutes to pass by before she proceeded with another flurry of heavy knocks. If Jill was inside, she certainly wasn’t coming to the door. Annoyed, she tried to peer through the window beside the door. The thick material of the curtain that hung in the window blocked her view. She frowned and thought about knocking again. What would be the point? Jill clearly didn’t want visitors. But Ally knew that she had to speak with her.
Ally pulled out her cell phone and dialed Jill’s number. When it began to ring, she heard a faint sound. She guessed that it could be a ring tone, but it didn’t sound like it was coming from the house. As it rang again, she tried to detect where the sound came from. As she backed up a few steps the sound grew stronger. She turned towards the driveway on the third ring and her eyes locked to the car. Her eyes widened as she rushed towards it just as the final ring emanated through the window. She couldn’t see the phone, but it had to be there. Perhaps Jill had dropped it under the seat. Ally had done that a few times herself when she hurried out of the car and not realized it. Hours later, it would occur to her that her phone was missing, and she’d hunt it down. She tried the handle on the car door. It didn’t budge.
When Ally turned back towards the house again, she decided that she had to get inside. If Jill was inside, maybe there was a reason why she couldn’t answer the door, and hadn’t looked for her phone. Her heart pounded at the thought of Jill being in danger. She couldn’t shake the thought that something might be very wrong with her. What if guilt had gotten the best of her? Maybe she was involved in Martin’s death after all.
As Ally reached the door she knocked once more. She bit into her bottom lip as she tried the knob. It didn’t turn. She sighed, then she remembered that when they were younger Jill’s mother would keep a key hidden under a plant at the corner of the porch. She looked towards the corner and the plant was still there. The flowers had changed, but the container remained the same. Should she check? She had to check and make sure Jill was okay. She walked over to the plant and picked it up to look underneath. She was relieved to see the key underneath it. She grabbed the key and walked to the door. With a bit of hesitation, she put the key in the lock and turned the knob.
As Ally pushed the door open the back door of the cottage flashed through her mind. Had she closed it? Had she even made sure that Peaches and Arnold were inside before she left? Her heart pounded as she recalled dropping her phone on the floor, then racing to the front door. No, she didn’t think she had closed the back door. She’d also never seen Arnold come back into the house. She’d left him out before for a few hours when she was at home, but never at night. At least with the door still open he would have a way in, and she doubted he would be able to break out through the gate. But Peaches on the other hand, might have jumped over the fence, or managed to open the gate. She could be very persistent when it came to opening doors, and probably took the opportunity to roam the neighborhood. Annoyed with herself, she decided to ru
sh back to the cottage. But she needed to quickly check if Jill was okay first.
“Jill?” Ally stuck her head inside. “Jill, are you home? It’s Ally.” She stepped farther into the house and immediately noticed that something was off. The living room couch had been overturned. The shelves that surrounded the television were empty. The contents of them dotted the carpet. She stepped through the living room into the kitchen to find an even bigger mess.
As Ally’s chest tightened with fear, she realized that whoever had ransacked Martin’s hotel room had likely done the same to Jill’s house. Leanne? Could all of this have been because of jealousy about Jill and Martin’s relationship? The thought made her head spin. As the laundry room door swung open, her heart lurched. It wasn’t Jill that stood in the doorway.
“You shouldn’t have come inside.” The masked man glared at her as he took a step towards her.
“I don’t know what’s going on here.” Ally raised her hands in the air as she noticed the knife in his hand. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
“But you did.” He snarled his words. “Now, you’re going to have to come with me.” He gestured towards the door with his knife.
Ally’s stomach twisted. If she followed his instructions, she had no idea if she would ever get out of there. But she had no way to defend herself. She knew how dangerous it was to fight a man with a knife. She would never win. She took a breath, and then a step back.
“I’m just going to go. I won’t say a word to anyone.” Ally took another step back.
“If you walk out that door, I won’t just kill you, I’ll kill her, too.” He pointed the knife directly at Ally. “Are you going to be able to live with that?”
“Jill?” Ally’s breath caught in her throat. “Do you have her in there? Is she alive?”
“For the moment.” He cleared his throat. “The choice you make right now will decide whether she lives much longer.”