by Mary Ellis
‘Actually I do. I was looking into Elmer Maxwell’s financials, courtesy of the state police database, when I got a call from the sheriff. Apparently, the Maxwell family seems to have returned to Roseville. One of the deputies saw his kids playing in the yard and the lights on in the house.’
‘Why would Elmer take off and then come back?’ Jill took an apple from the bowl.
Nick shrugged. ‘I don’t try to figure out why people do what they do, not anymore. But it couldn’t be easy to go on the run with two little kids and a wife. That same deputy talked to the bartender at the Brew Pub. Elmer liked to bet on sports, any sports – football, basketball, horseracing – but the guy wasn’t very lucky. He owed some bookie from Frankfort a lot of money and that bookie didn’t like waiting to get paid. The bartender had been expecting Elmer to pack up and skip town.’
‘Which he did,’ Jill interjected.
‘Nope,’ Nick corrected. ‘Five days ago Elmer came into the Brew Pub and paid the guy in full, over ten thousand dollars. Then he left town. Since the Maxwells had been up to their eyeballs in debt, the pay-off was enough to have a warrant issued for Elmer’s arrest. I’m on my way there now to bring him in for questioning.’ Nick poured his coffee into Jill’s travel mug and snapped on the lid.
‘Great. I’m going with you. Let me just grab—’
‘Sorry, Jill, this is police business. No ride-alongs for journalists today.’
‘I thought we were partners.’
‘No, you and Michael Erickson are partners. Sheriff Adkins will help me bring in a potential bad guy. But if there’s any breaking news, I promise you the inside scoop.’ Nick patted her head like a small child or worse … a dog.
Jill fumed until he disappeared out the door. Then she turned to her cousin, who pretended not to be listening.
‘May I please borrow your truck, Aunt Dot?’
‘Keys are on the hook.’ Dot pointed with her spatula. ‘But don’t follow Nick too closely. By the way, the Maxwells live on Greenbriar Drive in case you lose him.’
‘Thanks, you’re the best innkeeper in the world.’
‘Just make sure you give me four stars if and when you ever check out.’
FOURTEEN
Friday morning
For all of ten minutes, Nick felt bad about hurting Jill’s feelings. Then he spotted Roger Clark’s beat-up old truck in his rear-view mirror. He thought about calling her and ordering her to back off, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He liked Jill. And that wasn’t very smart, because after they caught Roger’s killer, he would return to Louisville and she’d go home to Chicago. He should call the sheriff so he wouldn’t be surprised when Jill bounded up the front walkway, notepad in hand. But in the end, Nick pretended not to notice her following him and let the chips fall where they may.
At the home of Elmer Maxwell, Nick parked next to the sheriff’s cruiser and headed towards the front door, which stood open to every fly and mosquito in Roseville. Unfortunately, Jill pulled right behind his sedan, effectively blocking him in with her truck. With a few long strides, he reached the driver’s side window. ‘This is private property, Miss Curtis,’ Nick warned. ‘If you get out of that truck, I will arrest you.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it, Trooper. I’ll stay right here in case you need me.’ Jill smiled innocently.
‘No, you won’t. Move your vehicle into a legal parking spot on the street.’
‘Fine,’ she agreed, rolling up her window.
With Jill dealt with, Nick looked around the yard. Why wasn’t Elmer’s van parked in the driveway or his children playing outside on such a warm summer day? Suddenly a shrill voice came from inside the house, and Nick bolted to the doorway.
‘Why is your deputy tramping all over my house?’ Janice Maxwell screeched. ‘I told you Elmer’s not here.’
‘Just doing our job, Miz Maxwell.’ Adkins maintained his soft, unhurried drawl despite her agitation. ‘Don’t worry. Deputy Frank won’t mess anything up.’
‘May I come in, ma’am?’ Nick asked, stepping across the threshold. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dark interior of the one-story house.
Janice’s head snapped around. ‘Why not? Everybody else seems to do whatever they please. And close that door!’
‘Let’s go over again what happened for the benefit of Lieutenant Harris.’ Adkins rested his hands on his knees.
‘Fine, but you are wasting time.’ Janice released a weary sigh. ‘One night, Elmer came home from the bar and told me to pack the car ’cause we were leaving. I asked him where to and he said I’d know when we got there.’ She shook her head and took a gulp of Coke. ‘Then he drove us to my sister’s house in Washington County. Just like that, we show up without calling first or bringing any food with us. My sister is worse off than we are!’ Janice looked from one to the other to make sure they understood the significance.
‘That had to make you uncomfortable,’ Nick murmured.
‘You got that right. My sister started fussing about where we were going to sleep and my brother-in-law demanded the money Elmer owed him. I didn’t even know he’d borrowed money from Al.’ She breathed in and out as though to calm herself. ‘Well, Elmer pulled a couple of hundreds from his wallet and handed them over saying he won a few races at Keeneland. I never saw my husband with so much cash.’
Nick and the sheriff exchanged a glance. ‘Go on, Miz Maxwell,’ Adkins prodded.
‘That money shut Al up for a few nights. Then one fine morning, he was back to badgering Elmer that he still owed him more. The two of them starting yelling and carrying on and before I knew it, Al kicked us out. Just like that. My kids didn’t even finish their bowl of cereal.’
This time when Janice met the eyes of her audience, Nick felt a welling of sympathy deep in his gut. Was this what people meant by hand-to-mouth? He pitied any mother forced to raise children under such circumstances. ‘Where did your family go next?’
Janice expelled a hollow laugh. ‘All his big plans … Elmer didn’t know what to do. He took us to breakfast at Hardee’s and then just drove around, wasting gas. I knew we weren’t going anywhere. Then he brought us back here.’ She waved dismissively at the sparsely furnished room. ‘There ain’t a bit of food in this house and what does my husband do?’ The frustrated woman didn’t wait for an answer. ‘He just took off and went to the bar last night.’ She reached for a cigarette from a pack on the coffee table, adding smoke to the stale smell.
‘How do you know that’s where he went?’ The sheriff’s brow furrowed.
Another listless shrug. ‘That’s the only place Elmer ever goes. Everybody knows him at the Brew Pub on Fifth Street. It’s like his second home when he leaves the distillery.’ Janice laced her words with plenty of scorn.
Adkins pulled out his phone, then strolled into the kitchen to make his call.
‘But Elmer has never stayed out all night before,’ she said, turning to face Nick. ‘He knows we only have one car so I got no way to get food.’
Nick peered out the window overlooking the driveway. ‘I noticed a Chevelle Super Sport in the carport. Couldn’t you drive that to the grocery store?’
‘That car hasn’t run in years.’ She snorted with contempt. ‘It is just a hole in the ground where Elmer throws our extra money. Not that we’ve had much lately.’
‘Before the sheriff and I leave today, we’ll make sure you have groceries in the house. I know the Episcopal Church has a community outreach program,’ Nick said, half-expecting a stinging rebuff.
Instead Janice nodded and murmured, ‘Thank you.’
‘Where are your children, Mrs Maxwell?’
‘I told them to stay in their room. I don’t want them listening while we’re talking about Elmer. Every kid should respect their daddy.’
Nick’s opinion of the woman lifted a notch.
Sheriff Adkins strolled into the room and slipped his phone back into his pocket. ‘The manager of the Brew Pub said Elmer sto
pped in last night, but he only drank two beers and left. He didn’t talk to anyone and he ignored the ballgame on TV which for Elmer was very strange.’ Adkins delivered this news to Nick, not Mrs Maxwell. ‘I put out an APB on his vehicle, a late model Chevy van.’
Janice’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Why are you doing this, Sheriff? Can’t you wait until he comes home? This nice cop said he would help us get some food in the house, so let’s just be patient.’ She gestured in Nick’s direction.
‘I’m afraid we can’t, ma’am.’ Adkins hiked his belt over his belly. ‘Your husband is wanted for questioning in the murder of Roger Clark. So if you have any knowledge of his whereabouts and refuse to tell us, you could be charged with obstruction of justice.’
‘If I knew where he was, I would tell you.’ As Janice’s tears turned into downright hysterics, she buried her face in her hands.
The sheriff perched on the arm of the sofa. ‘It’s just some questions. If Elmer had nothing to do with the murder, he’s got nothing to worry about.’
‘My … husband … wouldn’t … hurt … a … fly.’ Her words were a staccato between sobs.
As the sheriff waited for Janice to compose herself, Nick wandered down the hallway off the living room. Behind door number one was the master bedroom in a condition best described as post-tornado. There were so many clothes strewn across the floor none could be left in the closet. Behind door number two Nick found a little girl around four years old and a little boy around six. They were building a fort with interlocking plastic sticks. The room was so overwhelmingly pink it had to belong to the Maxwell daughter. Both children glanced up when Nick opened the door.
‘Hi, there,’ he said, momentarily at a loss for words. ‘Your mother sent me to check on you. You continue to play nice and she’ll join you in a few minutes.’
The last two rooms were the boy’s bedroom, tidy but very blue, and a long narrow bathroom. Nick gazed out the bathroom window at a backyard filled with toys and half a dozen fruit trees. Apples in various states of decomposition lay scattered on the ground.
One of Adkins’s deputies cleared his throat from the doorway. ‘I went through the whole house as soon as we arrived, Lieutenant Harris, including the attic and the crawl space. Elmer Maxwell isn’t here.’
Nick glanced back at the familiar face. ‘I’m sure you did, but did you check that building out back?’ He pointed at the barn beyond the mini orchard.
Deputy Morris squeezed in beside him. ‘You think that barn’s on the Maxwell’s property? I figured it belonged to the people on the next street.’
‘Let’s go find out.’ Nick couldn’t get out of the airless bathroom fast enough.
In the living room, Janice had regained some of her composure. ‘Does that barn out back belong to you, Mrs Maxwell?’ Nick asked.
‘You mean that old shed? Yeah, it’s ours. Elmer used to work on his racecar in there, before the landlord put up the carport. Some racecar … can’t even get down the driveway.’ She wiped her face with a sodden tissue.
‘What’s it used for now?’
‘Nothing. I don’t think anyone’s been inside in years.’
From the bathroom Nick had seen tracks where the grass had been bent down. ‘Mind if we take a look inside?’
‘Knock yourself out,’ she said after a moment’s hesitation.
Sheriff Adkins locked eyes with him. ‘Take Deputy Morris with you, Nick. I’m going to stay with Mrs Maxwell in case her husband calls.’
Unsure why Adkins didn’t want the wife left alone, Nick headed out through the kitchen with Morris on his heels. The backyard was even more cluttered with discarded toys than it had looked from the window. Every step through the knee-high grass offered a trip hazard.
‘Look at this, Lieutenant.’ Morris bent down to inspect the tire tracks. ‘Somebody drove back to the shed recently.’
‘Yeah, I saw those indentations in the grass from the bathroom.’ Nick withdrew his gun from the shoulder holster. ‘Best to be prepared,’ he added in response to Morris’s expression. ‘I’ll go around to the left. You go around to the right but watch your step. Snakes love to hide in tall weeds.’
Slightly paler, the deputy withdrew his service weapon and made his way along the property line.
Nick followed the tire tracks around to the opposite side where double doors and a wide ramp led into the barn, easing the entry and exit of vehicles and garden tractors. Unfortunately, all of the barn’s windows had been covered over with cardboard.
‘We’ll be going in blind,’ Nick whispered as Morris reached his position. ‘Be ready, but don’t start shooting. Follow my lead.’
Morris saluted with his gun barrel.
‘Elmer Maxwell,’ Nick shouted. ‘This is the Kentucky State Police and Spencer County Sheriff’s Department. Come outside with your hands raised. We need to ask you some questions.’
Neither of the law men moved as they listened for movement inside the barn. When they didn’t hear a sound, Nick repeated his demand. ‘Come on out, Maxwell. There’s no place for you to go.’
‘Cover me,’ Nick whispered after another minute. ‘I’m going in.’
As Morris gripped his weapon with both hands and raised it to shoulder height, Nick slid back the door and entered, ready for anything. But there was little to be ready for. Nothing moved inside the dim interior. The first thing Nick noticed was a rag stuffed in the exhaust pipe of a vehicle. Then he saw a man behind the wheel, his head slumped to one side. With his weapon still trained on the van’s occupant, Nick approached the driver’s side.
‘He must’ve really tied one on last night,’ Morris muttered from the doorway. ‘Wake up, Elmer. We need to ask some questions.’
From the sag of the shoulders and the tilt of his head, Nick suspected the former security guard wasn’t sleeping. ‘Open up the barn,’ he shouted to Morris. ‘Get some oxygen in here.’ When he yanked open the van’s door, Maxwell almost fell out. Nick checked for a pulse at Maxwell’s carotid artery and his wrist but felt only cool, damp skin.
‘Is he dead?’ Morris asked hesitantly.
‘I believe so. Don’t come in here. Radio for an ambulance. Then ask Sheriff Adkins to join us but say nothing to Mrs Maxwell. We’ll let EMTs make the call.’ Nick reached over the body to turn off the ignition, but the van had run out of gas long ago. Glancing around, a whitish layer of dust covered the cement floor of a building which appeared not to have been used in years. As carefully as possible, Nick backed out of the barn, trying to re-step in his same footprints. Once outdoors he filled his lungs deeply with fresh air.
Sheriff Adkins met him halfway back to the house. ‘What do we have, Nick, a suicide?’
‘That’s how someone wanted it to appear. There’s a rag stuffed in the tailpipe, a blueish tint to Maxwell’s skin, and the van’s out of gas. But other than mine, I saw only one set of footprints to the tailpipe and back to the driver’s door. So who closed the barn doors after Maxwell backed the van inside?’
Adkins stroked his chin. ‘Good point. Looks like someone else coerced him into making that decision. Did you see any other tire tracks in the grass?’
‘No, only one set. Nevertheless, let’s make sure the footprints match Maxwell’s shoes and the tracks match the van’s.’
‘You got it. I’ll get our forensic guy out here. I’ll make sure no one obliterates those footprints before they’re measured and photographed.’ Adkins tipped up his hat brim. ‘In the meantime, why don’t you break the news to Janice? You seem to have developed a rapport with her.’
On his way to the house Nick remembered Jill Curtis and detoured around to the front. Was she still sitting in Roger’s truck in the hot sun? Or sneaking through the bushes trying to scoop the local news station? He would prefer she not take photographs as they brought Elmer out on a gurney.
Jill exited the pickup as Nick approached. ‘What’s up?’ she asked. ‘Have you taken Elmer Maxwell into custody?’
‘We found
him in an outbuilding. It appears he might have taken his own life.’
Her eyes grew very round. ‘That’s just awful. Is his wife home?’
‘She’s inside the house, along with two little kids. I need to tell her the bad news and you might be able to help.’
Jill blinked several times. ‘What could I do?’
‘The family had packed up and left town, but then returned unexpectedly. There’s no food in the house and her kids are probably getting hungry. Do you think you could rally the Episcopal ladies to help out?’
‘I’ve only attended that church twice and once it was for a funeral.’
‘I know, but I promised Mrs Maxwell. Maybe Mrs Clark will help you.’
Jill smiled. ‘Lead the way, Trooper, but I sure never took you for a softie.’
‘Only with women, children, and small animals.’ Just as Nick and Jill entered the house, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.
Janice jumped to her feet. ‘What’s going on, Lieutenant Harris? Did you find Elmer?’
‘Yes, ma’am. Your husband had parked his van in the barn in the backyard.’
‘What was he doing in there?’ Her face mottled with confusion.
‘We’re not sure, but whatever it was he might have been overcome by carbon monoxide. EMTs and an ambulance are on the way.’
It took a few moments for the significance to sink in. ‘Is Elmer dead?’
Nick chose his words carefully. ‘I wasn’t able to find a pulse, but medical professionals will soon be here with oxygen. Let’s hope for the best.’
Janice wobbled on her feet. She dropped onto the sofa as her knees gave out.
Nick squatted in front of her. ‘If it’s OK with you, one of the deputies will take your fingerprints, just so we know which prints belong in the van.’
Mutely, she bobbed her head.
‘And in the meantime, this is Miss Curtis,’ Nick continued. ‘She attends the Roseville Episcopal Church. She will see to it that your home is restocked with groceries.’
Jill stepped forward and offered a sympathetic smile. ‘My first name is Jill. Why don’t I call for a pizza, then we can say a healing prayer for your husband. You are not alone, Mrs Maxwell. I’ll see that you get the help you need.’ Sitting down next to the widow, Jill wrapped one arm around her shoulder, while she Google-searched pizza shops with her other hand.