Bubba's Ghost

by Marja McGraw

  Fortunately, traffic was relatively light, but it still took me a good forty-five minutes before I saw the Barranca Avenue off ramp. I’d pushed it, practically begging for a speeding ticket in my rush to reach Covina.

  Arriving at Chrissy’s, I found there were still police cars in her driveway with lights flashing. I pulled into the school parking lot and left my car there.

  “Sandi?” Andy Payne, the maintenance man at the school, came running out to my car. “What’s going on over there? There’ve been all kinds of police cars coming and going.”

  “Not sure, Andy. That’s what I’m here to find out. Okay if I leave my car here again?”

  “Of course. Are the young woman and her child okay? Nothin’ happened to them, right?”

  “They’re fine,” I assured him. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  Checking traffic, I ran across the street and up the driveway, only to be stopped by a uniformed officer.

  “You can’t go in there, ma’am.”

  “Who’s in charge here, Officer? I need to talk to someone who can let me in.” The wind pushed at me, making my purpose feel more urgent.

  “Sorry, ma’am.”

  “Officer, I’m a private investigator and I work for Mrs. Knight. I need to see her.”

  “This is a crime scene, ma’am. You can’t go in.”

  A man in a suit had been listening to our conversation and chose that moment to join in. “May I help you with something? I’m Detective Chase, the investigating officer.”

  “Detective Chase, I’m Sandi Webster. I’m a private investi – ”

  “I heard you explain that to the officer. What’s your interest in this case?”

  “I’ve been working for Mrs. Knight. I spoke to her a while ago and she told me what happened. I’ve been trying to get a handle on the situation with John Frendd. He’s been harassing her for weeks, and he was becoming more and more persistent. Can’t we go inside and talk? Out of the wind?”

  “Yes, I’d like to talk to you.” Officer Chase motioned for me to follow him into the house. The young officer who’d tried to stop me watched us with interest.

  “Sandi!” Chrissy seemed relieved to see me. “Oh, Sandi, I thought you’d never get here.”

  I glanced around the living room and saw she’d talked the police into letting Ted come inside. He was sitting on the couch, looking nervous and sullen. I could see he’d rather be at work, or anywhere other than the scene of a murder.

  “Hi, Ted.” I reached out and shook his hand. “I’m glad you’re here for Chrissy.”

  “She needs me.” He half-smiled at me, using only one side of his mouth.

  I turned toward the kitchen in time to see Officer Paley. He walked through the dining room and into the living room, ready to leave. I walked over and stepped in front of him. “We need to talk.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Paley gave me a dark look and spoke softly. “Yeah, we do. But not now.” He looked pale and he was holding his stomach. Was Frendd the first dead body he’d ever seen? Of course, he would have been the first one on the scene when the call came in. He always showed up – eventually. He simply never did anything about Frendd’s visits.

  “Ms. Webster?” I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Come with me, please.” Detective Chase wanted me to accompany him to the kitchen.

  “Detective, how did Frendd die?”

  “Blunt force trauma to his head.” His reply was crisp and concise. “One blow to the back of his head, and a second to his left temple. It looks like the first blow may have cracked his skull, and the second one killed him.”

  “You’re sure about that?” How could he know so much?

  “It’s a guess, but an educated one. We’ll know for sure after the autopsy.”

  “And he’s in the basement?”

  “Yes.”

  He led me through the kitchen and to the back porch. The washing machine had been moved and the trap door in the floor that led to the basement was propped open. Chase stopped and stood quietly.

  “What is it you want, Detective Chase?”

  He pointed to the opening in the floor. “Take a look.”

  I stood and watched him for a moment. His expression told me nothing. The wind whistled through the screened windows. A tree branch scraped the side of the old house.

  “Go ahead,” he urged.

  I turned and looked down the stairs. They hadn’t removed Frendd’s body yet.

  “Oh, my God,” I said quietly. I’d never seen anything like it. His head was so bloody. Frendd’s head had been caved in from a hard blow. If the detective was right, probably more than one. I turned away.

  “Tell me what you know,” Chase said softly. He placed his hand on my arm and led me away from the scene.

  “Would you mind if I get myself a drink of water?” I understood why Paley had looked so pale.

  “Go ahead. We’ll sit at the kitchen table and talk. I understand you’ve been involved in this situation for the past few days.”

  I opened the cupboard. No glasses. I opened another one and found coffee mugs. I filled one with water and sat myself and my shaky legs down at the table.

  “So you feel there’s more to Officer Paley than meets the eye.”

  I wasn’t surprised that this was the first thing he’d zeroed in on. He’d obviously heard Paley’s quiet reply to me and seen the nasty look he’d given me.

  “Yes.” I briefly filled him in on what had been happening. “I know there’s something going on, but I can’t figure it out. And if Paley had charged Frendd with more than being drunk in public, he might still be locked up instead of dead.”

  “And you say Lieutenant Johnson’s been checking into this?”

  “Yes. You might want to talk to him.”

  My cell phone rang.

  “Go ahead and answer that,” Chase said. “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to check in with Johnson.” He disappeared into the back room with a cell phone in hand.

  I answered and heard Stanley’s welcome voice.

  “Stan, I’ve been trying to call you all day. Where’ve you been?”

  “I’m up at Lake Tahoe with Pete. He called early this morning and asked me to join him. Two heads are better than one, you know.” He sounded so happy.

  “I wish you’d let me know you were going. I need the information you found on Frendd.”

  “I left you two messages. Didn’t you get them?”

  “I didn’t have time to check them. Stan, this is important. John Frendd has been murdered. I need to know what you found out about him.”

  Stanley didn’t answer me right away. “Did you say he’s been murdered? Sorry, but this connection isn’t the best.”

  “Yes, I did. What did you find out?” My frustration was mounting rapidly. “I need to know, Stan. Now.”

  “Try standing still, Sandi. Maybe it’ll be easier to hear you.”

  He was right. I was pacing the kitchen floor. I sat down at the table again. “Can you hear me now?”

  “Loud and clear. Okay, here’s what I’ve got. John Frendd was born and raised in Covina, lived there all of his life. He was raised in the house Chrissy lives in, and he attended the local schools. His parents divorced when he was about thirteen, and he lived with his father, staying in that same house. I couldn’t find out what happened to the mother. I tried, but she seems to have disappeared. Maybe she remarried and changed her name or something.

  “His father, Michael Frendd, remarried after about a year. It seems the woman he married had two sons, so now there were three children. There are records of the father being arrested for domestic violence – during both marriages.”

  “Was the violence directed at the wives or the children?” I wanted to know where this was going.

  “Both. John Frendd was seen at the hospital on a couple of occasions, as well as his step-brothers. The second wife was so badly beaten at the end of their marriage that they had to transport her by ambulance.”<
br />
  “So what happened?”

  “Frendd was growing up, and this had been going on over a period of a few years. After the second wife was taken to the hospital, Frendd got to his father before the police did. He beat him senseless, and if it hadn’t been for the police showing up and intervening, he probably would have killed him.”

  “You seem to know an awful lot for just doing some computer research.” I needed to know where he’d found this information.

  “Yesterday I made some telephone calls. I found a woman who’d been a neighbor of the Frendds, and her number was the book. She was more than willing to fill me in on the details. You know how people enjoy gossiping.”

  “How’d you get her to talk to you?” Stanley surprised me sometimes.

  “I told her I worked for Webster and Goldberg Investigations and explained we’re investigating John Frendd. As soon as she heard his name she started talking. I had problems keeping up with her because she had so much to say. Now, are you ready for the interesting part?”

  I glanced up and saw the detective returning. “Yes, Stan, and I’m going to have to hang up soon. What else did you find out?”

  “Where are you, Sandi? I can hear people talking in the background.”

  “I’m at Chrissy’s house. They found Frendd’s body in her basement. Now, for crying out loud, will you please tell me what else you found out?”

  “Ms. Webster, I have some more questions for you.” Detective Chase was standing in front of me.

  “Give me one more moment. Please?” I could hear Stanley talking, but I had no idea what he’d said.

  “What’s going on, Sandi? Did you hear what I said?”

  Chase nodded at me.

  “I missed it, Stan. Tell me again.”

  Chapter Thirty-one

  “I said Michael Frendd’s second wife was Julia Paley. Does that name ring a bell?”

  “Stan, if you were here right now, I’d give you a big fat, sloppy kiss. You have no idea how important this is. Good job!”

  Detective Chase was watching me closely, obviously waiting to see if my phone call had anything to do with the murder.

  “Tell Pete I’ll call him later. And thanks for going up there to help him.”

  Stanley chuckled. “He said you didn’t need me in Covina because you had ‘the big fat mutt’ to help you. There seems to be a problem between Pete and that dog.”

  I didn’t have time to discuss Bubba. “Stan, I’ll talk to you later. And thanks again.”

  I pushed the Off button on the cell phone and turned to Detective Chase. “We do need to talk some more, but before you ask me any questions, I’ve got some information for you.”

  He didn’t say anything, but folded his arms across his chest and waited for me to speak.

  “It looks like John Frendd may be Officer Paley’s stepbrother. I’d say that might account for his strange behavior throughout this whole mess.”

  Without commenting, Detective Chase left the kitchen and walked out the front door. I followed behind him, but when I saw him approaching Paley, I held back. Better to stay out of this one.

  I sat down with Chrissy and Ted. She was shivering, probably from shock and fear. The front door was open and the cold wind blew into the house, which only added to her chill. I asked Ted to find a sweater for her.

  “What’s going on?” Chrissy asked. “That detective’s face looked like a volcano about to erupt.”

  Before I could answer, we heard loud voices coming from the front yard. Well, actually it was only Paley’s voice. Detective Chase seemed to be maintaining his cool. He had the upper hand. The wind seemed to whip their words away and I couldn’t understand what they were saying.

  Ted returned with a sweater for Chrissy and draped it over her shoulders.

  “We found out what the connection between Paley and Frendd is. It seems that John Frendd was Todd Paley’s stepbrother.”

  Chrissy put her hand to her mouth and rolled her eyes. “Now it all begins to make sense.”

  Ted finally spoke up. “They were stepbrothers? So that’s why that son-of-a-bitch wouldn’t help Chrissy.” He stood up and turned toward the front door.

  I placed my hand on his arm, but he shook it off.

  “Ned, uh, Ted, don’t go out there. Let the police take care of it.” What a lousy time for Dolly’s nickname to pop out of my mouth.

  “Like they’ve done so far?” Apparently he hadn’t noticed my little mistake.

  “Ted, they’re not all related to Frendd.” Chrissy was trying to be the voice of reason. “Officer Paley is the only one who hasn’t helped.”

  “Thanks to Paley, now you’ve got a dead body in your basement.” He was angry, ready to storm outside and let Paley have it. Maybe. Or was it all show?

  Chrissy began to cry.

  “I’m sorry, honey.” Ted sat back down on the couch and put his arms around Chrissy.

  As I sat and listened to this exchange, all I could do was wonder why Ted hadn’t been there for her before. Or could he have been? He could have killed Frendd as easily as anyone else. Nah, he was too much of a wimp. Ned the Nerd, as Dolly called him. I recalled how he’d left in a hurry the first time I checked out the basement and asked for his help. I didn’t want to believe that Ted could have committed a murder. If Chrissy cared about him, then he must have some redeeming qualities.

  I turned my gaze to the front door and saw Paley listening to Chase with his head hanging low. I didn’t like Paley, but it made my heart skip a beat. There was no doubt in my mind that the officer would be, at the very least, put on administrative leave while Internal Affairs investigated his activities, or lack thereof. He lifted his head, and in the glow from the porch light it appeared he had tears running down his face. I didn’t know if it was because he’d lost his stepbrother or because of the trouble he was in. Maybe it was both.

  Paley climbed into the passenger side of his patrol car and turned away from the driver’s side, staring out the window. The young officer I’d spoken to when I’d arrived climbed into the driver’s seat. They headed out, probably back to the station where Paley would have to meet with his commanding officer.

  Detective Chase stood, arms folded, and watched the car move down the street.

  The wind began to ebb, and I was glad. The noise it created seemed to add a feeling of fierceness to everything that was happening, and we all needed to calm down.

  Chase entered the house and motioned me toward the kitchen. I closed the door before I followed him, hoping Chrissy might warm up.

  “You were right, Ms. Webster. There will be an investigation.”

  “Do you know if Lieutenant Johnson knew about this stepbrother connection yet? I haven’t talked to him today.”

  “He had a situation at the department that kept him busy all day. He would have discovered the truth soon enough though.”

  “I know he would have.” I didn’t want the detective to think I was gloating. I wasn’t.

  Before we could discuss anything else, two men from the Coroner’s Office hauled out Frendd’s body. Thankfully, they used the back door, so Chrissy didn’t have to see what was going on.

  “Would it be okay if I take a look in the basement?” I didn’t have any idea what I thought I might find, but I felt like it was something I had to do.

  “Let me see if the Crime Lab people from the Sheriff’s Office are done yet. They should be since the Coroner’s been here.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how is an investigation like this conducted?” I’d never actually been involved at a crime scene like this one.

  He chewed on his lip and studied me before replying. “Officer Paley called the Sheriff’s Office as soon as he found the body. They’re first responders. If we handle the case, then two investigators and a supervisor respond. I’m the supervising detective. My investigators have been down in the basement with the Sheriff’s people.”

  “What do you mean by ‘if you handle the case’?”
/>
  “If we’re too busy, the County Sheriff’s Office handles this type of case in Covina. In this instance, we were able to respond.”

  “I see. So is there a possibility they might take over the case?”

  “It may happen that way because of Paley’s relationship with the deceased. If they do, then we’ll assist.”

  “What else?”

  “Then the Sheriff’s Office sends out a photographer and their Crime Lab people. They sketch the scene, take photos, and check for fingerprints and any possible evidence. When all of that’s done, the Coroner takes the body. Now we have to interview any potential witnesses.”

  “Are there any witnesses?”

  “None have come forward, so we won’t know until we start interviewing the neighbors. Are you sure you need to know all of this?”

  “Yes, sir. Chrissy hired me to help her out, and I’m in so far now that I’m going to stick with her until the killer is caught. I figure, since his body was found in her basement, she must be a suspect. Right?”

  “Everyone’s a suspect right now.” He looked me straight in the eye. “Including you.” He was beginning to sound impatient. I was keeping him from his job.

  “Do you still have questions for me?” Or would he let Chrissy and me get out of there? Tammi! I hadn’t seen Tammi. Where was she?

  “You can all go. I want an address and phone number where I can reach Mrs. Knight before you leave.”

  “She’s going to stay with her grandmother, who lives right next door to me.” I pulled out a pen and paper and gave him the information he wanted.

  “We’ll keep in touch.” It sounded ominous coming from this bear of a man. He and Bubba would have made a good pair. Detective Chase was at least six foot five and maybe two hundred fifteen pounds. He didn’t sport a happy face, but then considering the circumstances, I guess that made sense. I left him to his job and returned to the living room.

  “Chrissy, where’s Tammi?” I asked.

  “She’s next door, at Doug’s house. He said his wife, Becky, would keep her until I was ready to leave. Doug’s kind of a jerk, but his wife is sweet. I don’t know how she ever ended up with a guy like him.”