by C S McDonald
Fiona and Nathan exchanged bright glances. “Fats Tennison is Jillian Jewel’s dad?” Nathan reiterated.
“Well, he’s her stepfather, but they look like they’re very close. Anyway, I knew her boyfriend had to exist somewhere in her life, so, I googled her, and there he was, in photos that had been recently deleted from her profile. Turns out, she’s in a relationship with one, Sheriff Tom Paxton. She deleted the picture about twenty-four hours ago. It’s a very cozy picture of them dancing cheek to cheek at a club.”
“That explains a few things, like the item he swept under the seat in his cruiser the day we met. He said he did a little riding, but I noticed he was uncomfortable around the horses, he kept his distance. Then it showed up in Jillian’s boot,” Nathan said, contemplatively.
“What showed up in her boot?” Fiona asked.
“It was a riding crop with a little gold tag attached to it. I didn’t notice it in her boot when I first met her in the stable. I stepped into a stall to look at a horse but when I stepped away from the stall, there it was, stuck down the inside of her boot. Romeo Navarro kept his crop in the same place, but his crop didn’t have a tag. I believe she left it in the sheriff’s cruiser, and he handed it off to her while I was looking at the horse.”
“But wait! There’s more!” Tavia exclaimed in a mock TV marketing voice. “People just don’t get it. Just because you delete a picture from your social media page doesn’t mean it doesn’t live somewhere else, like on search engines. That said, there are other photos she deleted in the last twenty-four hours, photos of her and Romeo Navarro. While the pictures of Jillian and Romeo weren’t romantic in nature, it was obvious they were good friends. You know, arms around each other, big smiles. Maybe they were close enough for Jillian to have access to his apartment? Now, if you were lucky enough to find the whereabouts of the thirty-eight special that was used to kill Sperling, you might be well on your way to an arrest.”
“Oh, I know where the gun is,” Nathan supplied.
“Good. One more thing, Detective. I tried to find out if the blood on the knife matched Devyn Youngwood’s, but they weren’t feeling that generous,” Tavia informed.
“Thanks, Tavia, I’ll take it from here.”
“Good luck,” Tavia said.
“Hope I don’t need it.” He disconnected the call.
“You know where the gun that killed Derrek Sperling is?”
“Get this, the gun used to shoot Derrek Sperling was turned in during a gun drive at the Hancock County Police Department.”
“As in, Sheriff Paxton?”
“Olly Olly oxen free,” Nathan put in.
“Interesting. So, what’s the plan, Detective Landry?” Fiona inquired.
“Saddle up, darlin’, it’s back to the races. Let’s say our goodbyes.” He took Fiona’s hand to escort her back to the dining room.
“What luck. Someone’s been brutally murdered. You get to leave,” Chad groaned upon their return to the dining room.
“No worries, Chad. Your suffering will be ending as well. I’m going with them,” Mom announced.
Nathan’s spine stiffened. “Ah…um…I’m not sure you sh—”
Mom held up a halting hand. “It’s perfectly okay, Nate. You and Fiona may go off and do your murder investigation stuff. I’ll be busy betting the ponies or playing the slots. Fiona’s father and I used to love to go to the track. In fact, we’ve been to Mountaineer many times.” Her face dropped into a sorrowful expression. “Yes, we used to do many things together…as a couple. Before all of this…”
Nathan turned toward Fiona. His eyes were screaming, no, no, no! Fiona’s heart felt heavy for her mom. She’d left her alone the evening before, and it had been most obvious she was disappointed Dad had not shown up for dinner, heartbroken. How could she leave Mom behind again this evening? She laid a gentling hand on Nathan’s forearm. “It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “She’ll stay out of the way.”
“Wait,” Chad said. He gestured to the dinner still on the table. “Who’s gonna clean up this mess?”
Mom shot him a brusque look. “You are.”
“Me? I…I’m not sure I could clean this up. Obviously, you haven’t seen my apartment.”
Astrid raised her hand. “No worries, Chad. I’ll stay to help you.”
“No!” Fiona and Mom said in unison.
“I…I…” Chad stammered.
“Just clear the table, rinse the dishes, and pile them neatly on the kitchen counter. I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Thanks for dropping by, Astrid, but I’m afraid you need to go now,” Fiona said.
Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Astrid picked herself up and made her way toward the foyer. “Well, thank you for dinner. It was delicious. I would have loved to see what you were offering for dessert. Oh, well, maybe another time. Call me, Nancy, if you want to visit with Clementine to see if she’ll be more specific.”
“I won’t, but thanks, Astrid,” Mom said as she urged her toward the front door.
As they made their way into the foyer, Nathan whispered in Fiona’s ear, “Boundaries, Fiona, boundaries.”
Fiona grabbed her jacket from the hook. “Do you think we should stop at the Chinese restaurant on the way?”
“What for? We just had a big dinner.”
“I want to see if I need a change of clothes. You know, in case there’s an unplanned happy landing.”
Nathan glanced toward the front door where Fiona’s mother was gathering her jacket and purse from the hooks. “I’m hoping there’s not an unplanned disaster.”
TWELVE
“I can’t believe it,” Mom whined from the backseat. “Even that silly crystal ball, Clementine, thinks my marriage is over.”
“Now, Mom, you don’t know that.”
“How can you say that, Fiona? She told you chaos was about to arrive at your house, and as you yourself pointed out, there I was. Now she has predicted that I’m going to get remarried, but it was your father who has bought a ring. It seems to me that he’s the one getting remarried or at least has intentions of remarrying.”
“Maybe he bought the ring as a reconciliation gift for you, Nan,” Nathan suggested. “I’ve only heard accusations that Garret is cheating with this Claire Boyer woman. I haven’t heard any hard-core evidence that it’s actually so. What’ve ya got? Convince me.” He glanced askance to meet Fiona’s gaze. She nodded her agreement.
“He’s been sneaking off to the dog park at all hours. I’ve caught him in the laundry room making secret phone calls. And he hasn’t been leaving his cell phone lying on the kitchen counter where it usually is. Oh, no, he keeps that phone in his pocket at all times. Furthermore, I got up in the middle of the night several times to sneak a peek at his text messages but he’s locked the phone up, and I don’t know the password.”
“Okay, I agree, something is going on. But what makes you think it’s an affair, and why Claire Boyer?” Nathan inquired.
“Well, one afternoon last week, I couldn’t find him anywhere in the house. Then I noticed two of the dogs were gone and so were their leashes. So, I grabbed my sweater, the pretty blue one with the pearl and rhinestone applique on the shoulder. I think you got it for me for Christmas last year.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “Yes, I did. Anyway, you got your sweater, and then what?”
“I headed for the dog park, and there they were sitting side by side at one of the picnic tables. They weren’t even paying attention to the dogs. John and Ringo were flitting anywhere they wanted, and Twyla, that’s Claire’s Cocker Spaniel, was left to her own devices as well.”
Nathan lifted a shoulder. “Okay, they were sitting and talking, that doesn’t prove they’re having an affair. You didn’t see them kissing or anything, did you?”
“Well…no, but he didn’t tell me he was leaving. He just sneaked out of the house to meet with her, Nate. They were sitting close, too close…and…and…I don’t like Claire Boyer! I think he’s fooling around, and obviously, Clement
ine thinks so, too!”
At this point, Fiona was leaning her elbow against the car door scrubbing her forehead with the tips of her fingers. “I can’t believe you’re taking the crystal ball seriously.” Sitting up in her seat, she shook her head as if to shake away the conversation. “Hokay, on to the pending situation. What is your plan when we arrive at the racetrack, Nathan?”
“Well, I’ve really never had an opportunity to talk with jockey, Jillian Jewel. Now, knowing she and Sheriff Paxton are an item, it is imperative that I do just that.”
“Too bad you aren’t able to talk with Romeo Navarro. You may have been able to get a feel for how close his relationship with Jillian was. Isn’t it funny that Paxton did let you talk with Romeo at the dormitories? I mean, it wasn’t your murder investigation or jurisdiction last night either, and yet, he let you talk with his suspect,” Fiona pointed out.
“I think the good sheriff had me do the questioning out of sheer convenience. He wanted me to be seated at the table with Romeo to make sure he found that knife because he knew the knife would be there. I’m not sure if he planted the knife himself or if Jillian did. I believe she had time and opportunity. Problem is, I also believe Jillian Jewel is gonna be hard to access. Most likely, she’s got mounts this evening, and when she’s not riding, she’ll be safely tucked away in the ladies jockey room, where I’m not permitted to be.”
Closing her eyes, Fiona leaned her head against the rest. Her mind wandered back to the cafeteria located on the backside, when she and Devyn Youngwood’s parents were looking for a quiet, dry place to talk. She murmured, “What about Jillian’s stepfather, Fats?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk with him either,” Nathan said as he drove the SUV across the state line into West Virginia. “What are you getting at?”
Fiona was deep in thought. The first person she saw upon entering the cafeteria with the Youngwood’s was that awful man, Vic Deveaux. He was talking with the tubby man wearing an apron, who she now knew as Fats Tennison. Without glancing over his shoulder, Fats announced, “We’re closed.” But Vic’s expression caused the man to turn, and his stern tone melted away. Fats hurried toward the Youngwood’s. Meanwhile, Vic quickly made his way out the door.
“Joyce…Marty…I’m so sorry. Vic just told me. What a terrible thing to happen in the stables. Please, have a seat. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee. You stay as long as you need.” It was most interesting that Vic knew who had been killed in the stables. How did he know so quickly?
As Fats hastened toward the kitchen area, he pulled a cell phone from the pocket of his apron. He had the phone to his ear by the time he pushed through the door into the kitchen. She had to wonder, who was he in such a panic to call? Was it a matter of being first to spread the tragic news, or was there someone on the other end who needed to know what was going on and where?
Joyce and Martin Youngwood told her a bit about their daughter, but it was the moment they began talking about an unidentified jockey that things got more compelling…
“Was she dating the jockey?” Fiona had inquired.
It was then Joyce noticed Fats standing near the table holding a tray filled with steaming hot mugs of coffee, creamer, and sugar. She managed a withered smile for him. He set the tray down and then took one of the mugs to the officer sitting at the far table.
“I don’t think so,” Joyce said.
“Was the jockey bothering her? Harassing her for dates?” Fiona asked.
“She never said anything like that,” Joyce replied.
Fats hesitated before he passed their table, then he slowly turned toward them. “I saw her talking with Romeo yesterday. It looked to me like she was turning him down.”
Fiona had twisted in her seat to face him. “Romeo?”
“Romeo Navarro. He’s a young jockey. He seems like a good kid. He lives in the dormitories toward the bottom end of the backside. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he was threatening her or anything. He just looked like a guy who was getting turned down. You know, disappointed. He put his hand over his heart like it was breaking.”
“And what did Devyn do?” Fiona asked.
“She just laughed and walked away so did Romeo, but he wasn’t laughing. I don’t know what was going on. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. It was probably nothing.”
Even at that moment, Fiona thought he was back-peddling. At the time, she wondered if he was afraid of something, or someone? She didn’t want to frighten him off. She thought maybe Nathan and the sheriff may need more information out of him. She told him, “Well, thanks for mentioning it, anyway.”
“Again, I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said. Wringing his hands in his apron, he scurried toward the kitchen.
Fiona and Devyn’s parents talked a bit longer, but what she found most suspicious was when she glanced back at the kitchen door, there was Fats with his cell phone pressed to his ear. He backed into the kitchen, closing the door furtively, and she heard him say, “Yeah, they’re still here.”
She let the memory fall away, and now she had to wonder who Fats Tennison was talking to on the phone? Who needed to know if she and the Youngwood’s were still in the cafeteria? And if so, was that person Jillian Jewel? Was Fats serving as some kind of lookout?
Okay, maybe her imagination was running away with her, except the scenario was definitely worth considering.
“Fiona…”
Nathan’s voice broke through her contemplation. “I’m sorry, Nathan, what?”
He chuckled. “Well, Nancy, your daughter may not be a soothsayer, but when she gets that glazed-over expression on her face, I know she’s going to come up with something quite interesting.”
Fiona proceeded to reiterate her new suspicions over the events that had taken place in the cafeteria. “I’ll bet he was talking with someone who wanted us to know about Romeo Navarro’s attraction to Devyn Youngwood.”
“When you told the sheriff and me about Fats and Romeo, you didn’t mention seeing Romeo at the cafeteria. You’re sure he wasn’t there, or you didn’t see him leave as you were going inside or perhaps did the cruiser pass him on the way?”
She searched her mind again. “No, Nathan, I never saw Romeo, only Vic Deveaux.”
“It couldn’t have taken you too long to get to the cafeteria, it’s so close to Sperling’s stable,” Nathan put in.
“Not to mention, we were driven by that police officer because it was raining. I don’t think it was more than, say, two or three minutes, max, before we were walking into the cafeteria.”
“That’s right. And if you remember, Sheriff Paxton’s cell phone rang just as you were getting into the cruiser.”
“Did you hear his conversation?” Fiona asked.
“No, he went around the corner to talk.”
“So was Fats talking with Sheriff Paxton or to his stepdaughter, Jillian Jewel? How did Vic know who was murdered so quickly?”
“Someone could have stopped in and told him about the murder,” Mom suggested.
Nathan said, “That’s exactly what happened. I’ve since found out, Vic and Romeo bumped into Jillian. She told them about the murder mere moments after the fact and steered them away from the stable and most likely the dormitories. According to Vic, she told them the police were cordoning off the area, but it was too soon, the police hadn’t arrived yet. Like I said, she had ample opportunity to plant that knife in Romeo’s apartment. In fact, I’m surprised Romeo didn’t mention seeing Jillian during my interrogation, then again, the poor kid was so shaken, it could have slipped his mind.”
“Such an important detail to forget, but panic has different effects on different people,” Fiona noted.
“Remember, when we get to the track, I have to question Jillian Jewel about the Sperling case, not the Devyn Youngwood murder. Fact is, I think that Charlatan is the common denominator in these two cases. I truly feel Derrek Sperling was killed for selling the horse, and I believe Devyn Youngwood was murdered because she
knew about the situation with the horse and wanted to tell me.”
“I’m with you. Tell you what, Detective, let’s split up. You hang close and try to corner Ms. Jewel. Mom will bet the ponies, and I’ll take the SUV to get some coffee at the cafeteria,” Fiona suggested.
“I’m not sure I like it, Fiona. That cafeteria is almost a half-mile away from the racetrack.”
“Why in God’s name is the cafeteria so far from the racetrack?” Mom asked.
“It’s the cafeteria for the stables, not the racing patrons. If things go sideways, you’ll be all the way at the stables and you’ll have the vehicle too.” Nathan explained.
Fiona lifted a shoulder. “What could go wrong? I’m just going to drink coffee at the lunch counter and have a casual conversation with Fats.”
THIRTEEN
Feeling uncomfortable with the game plan, Detective Landry watched Fiona drive his SUV across the huge parking lot toward the cafeteria. He wasn’t sure what he was most uneasy about, the plan or the distance between the clubhouse and the cafeteria. If she got into trouble, it would take a long time for him to get to her, possibly too long. Actually, he was never one-hundred-percent comfortable with any stratagem, anything could, and usually did, go wrong. Except this time his gut was more on edge than ordinary. Maybe it was because he was on another lawman’s turf. What’s more, he had little confidence in Sheriff Paxton’s integrity.
“Nate…is everything okay?” Nancy asked.
“Yeah…yeah, it’s all good.” Detective Landry made every attempt to sound impassive. Tearing his eyes away from the sight of his SUV rounding the bend and the glow of brake lights disappearing from view, he favored Nancy with a half-smile. “Let’s get some programs, so you’ll know who to bet, and I’ll know what Ms. Jewel is up to.”