Bitter Justice (Cowboy Justice Association Book 12)

by Olivia Jaymes

  "I'm so sorry for your loss," Tanner said when Leo was finally alone. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I know how I'd feel if I ever lost Maddie."

  Nodding sadly, Leo leaned against the back of the leather sofa. "Thank you. Bibi was really special. A wonderful woman. She's going to be missed a great deal, not just by me but by her friends."

  Tanner let his gaze wander the room, filled with people. "It certainly seems that she was loved. It's good to have your friends around as well during this difficult time."

  "They've been a godsend. I wouldn't have been able to pull this together if it weren't for Ashley. She's a force of nature."

  "It's good to have friends like that."

  Leo nodded again. "I've been so busy making phone calls to friends and family to let them know about Bibi I haven't had much time to process what's happened. That's probably a good thing. I keep waiting for her to walk in the front door and tell me about her day."

  "The sooner the police bring in the person who did this the better you'll be able to find closure. At least, that's my experience."

  "You were a cop, I believe you said? I'll take your word for it. Right now, that seems very unimportant. Arresting the man that did this isn't going to bring Bibi back."

  Tanner had been a police officer for a damn long time. In all of those years he'd rarely had anyone tell him that they didn't care if the person that had murdered a loved one was caught or not. There had been a few, of course, but he hadn't found it the norm. It didn't help that already Leo was a suspect, purely statistically speaking. The spouse was always the first one to be investigated.

  "It won't but Bibi deserves justice." Shifting on his feet, Tanner steeled himself for Leo's reaction to his next statement. "I feel so strongly about that I agreed to help Sheriff Ken Smith with this murder investigation. I have a great deal of experience with this sort of thing and after meeting Bibi I feel that I can contribute in a positive way."

  Leo clutched at his heart, his eyes widening in surprise. "Jesus, that's... I don't even know what to say. You only met Bibi yesterday and you're willing to do this. That's...fucking fantastic. Ken Smith is a good man but he's inexperienced, a new sheriff. He can use all the help he can get."

  It appeared that Leo was actually tearing up at Tanner's declaration. Whether the gratitude was genuine or a put-on, it would look to anyone watching to be sincere and heartfelt.

  "I'll do the best I can while I'm here," Tanner replied. "Hopefully I can point Sheriff Smith in the right direction. In fact, to that end, I'd like to speak with you. I have a few questions that would help me tremendously."

  "Of course, of course." Leo looked around the room and then pointed to the hallway. "Let's go somewhere more private. My office is just down there. It will be a hell of a lot more quiet."

  Tanner followed Leo down a long hallway and into a small office with a view of the water. Most of the room was taken up with the large dark oak desk and the bookshelves behind it, but the far wall was basically one giant window. Leo motioned for Tanner to have a seat while he took the chair behind the desk.

  Ah, the old power play. I know it well. Sorry, but I'm not intimidated so easily.

  "So what kind of questions did you need to ask me?" Leo said, leaning back in the large leather chair. He'd spoken up before Tanner even had a chance to.

  Another power move. Trying to take control of the conversation from the outset. Wanting to be the alpha male - large and in charge. Sometimes, it was useful to let your suspect think they were in control. That might be a useful tactic here.

  We'll see.

  "When was the last time you saw your wife alive?"

  "When I went to bed," Leo answered promptly. "I retired earlier than Bibi which wasn't unusual. She was a night owl and I'm an early bird. We've been keeping that schedule for years and last night was no different. I went to bed and she stayed up reading or watching television."

  That was one long-winded answer to a simple question. Perhaps he'd already answered the same to Ken Smith.

  "Did you hear her come to bed?"

  "I'm a heavy sleeper. I didn't hear anything but once again, that's not unusual."

  "So for all you know Bibi never came to bed?"

  "That's very possible."

  Leo looked far too comfortable answering these questions. Confident and at ease.

  "I want to make sure that I have the timeline correct. Bibi was home when you went to bed, correct?"

  "Yes, of course she was."

  Shit. Because Tanner didn't know just what Bibi was doing last night this was a particularly delicate subject. She might have simply been with a friend and it was all innocent. Or not. And if it wasn't, just how much did Leo know? Had the sheriff mentioned to him that Bibi had been seen walking down the beach?

  "Did Bibi ever go out after you'd gone to bed? Maybe to have a drink with some friends or see a late movie, perhaps?"

  "No, she would never do that. Bibi didn't like to drive at night."

  "What about walking down the beach to see a neighbor? To the pub on the corner?"

  "No, I don't think so, especially after dark."

  This was the part in any sort of investigation that Tanner hated. It didn't have to be a murder. It could be a robbery or even something as small as a kid shoplifting a candy bar from the corner store. But somehow, he got stuck telling one family member that another family member was doing something that they didn't know about.

  Whether by design or accident. It didn't matter which, it only mattered that Tanner had to be the bad guy today. He might as well just man up and do it. It appeared that the sheriff hadn't said a word to Leo.

  "It's just that when Maddie and I were walking along the beach last night we saw Bibi and another person going into another building not far away."

  Leo's puzzled expression disappeared and he smiled. "I see what you're getting at here. The sheriff did mention that someone had supposedly seen Bibi on the beach last night but I didn't pay much attention to that. I know that she was home. It was dark and you must have mistaken her for someone else."

  Tanner had many flaws - far too many to catalog to Leo - but the one thing he'd been blessed with was fantastic distance vision. Now over fifty, he needed reading glasses but his distance vision was still as sharp as when he was a teenager.

  He'd seen Bibi last night. There was no mistake. Maddie had seen her as well. Arguing with Leo, however, wouldn't get them anywhere. Either Leo truly didn't know that Bibi was out and about last night or he was in some state of denial. It was interesting that Leo didn't grab onto this news, though. It would have given him plausible deniability that he was responsible for his wife's death.

  "It was dark," Tanner finally said. "I suppose I could have been mistaken."

  But I'm not.

  "Can you tell me if Bibi was acting differently in the last few weeks? Maybe she changed up her routine or complained about someone at the local coffee shop or gym? Did she recently argue with anyone? Even a minor disagreement?"

  Shifting in his chair, Leo's gaze fell to the floor. "I hate to even say it because I know it was an innocent thing."

  "I'm sure it is and the sooner we rule it out, the better off we'll be."

  He looked up, rubbing the back of his neck. "That night at the party after you and your wife left, Bibi and Ashley got into it a little bit. It wasn't a big deal but there were raised voices. Ashley left shortly after but I know she wouldn't do something like this. There's no way."

  Although Tanner hadn't seen the coroner's report, he was inclined to agree. Strangling another person to death was far more physical than most people realized. Ashley appeared to be in excellent shape but unless Bibi was incapacitated in some way, he couldn't see her being able to overcome the struggle and get it done without anyone hearing or seeing.

  "Do you know what they argued about?"

  "I didn't hear all of it. I was out on the patio. It was something about Ashley getting married again."
r />   "Is she getting married again?"

  "Not that I know of. I just think Bibi was pushing Ashley to get married again but for love this time. Ashley's all about finding a rich man and she doesn't try to hide that. She's quite out in the open about her ambitions."

  Maddie had mentioned it. As far as Tanner was concerned if the woman wanted to marry money that was her business.

  But she'd probably earn it. One way or another.

  "Anything else?" Tanner prompted. "Even the littlest item might be the break we need. Have you had anything delivered lately?"

  Frowning, Leo nodded. "We bought a new dining room table about a week ago. We gave the old one to a charity organization. I'd never liked it and Bibi agreed that we would replace it."

  "And they delivered it?"

  "Yes, why do you ask?"

  "Perhaps one of them came back. It's happened before, although usually it's more about robbery than murder."

  "Is that what you think this is? A robbery gone wrong? They did take Bibi's wedding ring and her diamond tennis bracelet."

  No, that wasn't what Tanner thought it was. Bibi had been found outside the penthouse and it didn't appear that there had been any break-in. The killer could have taken the jewelry to make it look like a robbery or as a memento.

  "I have to check every angle. I want to be thorough while I'm here."

  "I'm so grateful that you're helping. Ken Smith is a good guy but I don't think he's ever handled a murder before. This is a small town and it's usually quiet."

  "I'll do the best that I can. I just have a few more questions if you don't mind."

  "Not at all but I hope we're almost done. I have guests out there."

  "Just a couple more."

  "Fine, go ahead."

  This part never got any easier, but it had to be done.

  "How did you and your wife get along? Were you having any marital problems?"

  The other man's face turned red and his hands tightened into fists. Tanner had definitely hit a nerve and pissed Leo off. He didn't like this part of the job but he'd be remiss in not doing it.

  "The reason I ask," Tanner went on, "is that statistically speaking, the spouse is always the first suspect. The sooner we can rule you out, the better. So if you can help me with that, I can move on and investigate other leads."

  "I did not kill my wife," Leo said through gritted teeth. "I loved my wife. As for being cleared, I didn't realize that I was a suspect. I was asleep when this all happened."

  "Can anyone corroborate that?"

  "No, do you have anyone that saw me outside last night?"

  "No," Tanner admitted. "Not that I know of."

  "Then it looks like I don't have to prove anything." Leo stood, his arms crossed over his chest. "I think this interview is over. If you want to talk to me, you can contact my attorney from now on."

  Lawyering up. Probably a smart move on Leo's part.

  "I'm sorry about the indelicate questions. It's part of the job."

  "Then you have a lousy job," Leo shot back. "I just lost my wife and you're asking if we had any issues. All marriages have issues."

  "That's true, but not all wives end up dead." Tanner stood as well, stepping toward the door to the office. "This must be especially terrible for you, losing another wife so young."

  Leo's eyes widened and Tanner heard his swift intake of breath.

  "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  Really? He wanted to play it like that. Okay.

  "I'll let you know if I have any more questions. There are several people that I still need to speak to."

  "Are you going to be bothering our friends?" Leo demanded, his lips a flat line. "I don't want you harassing them."

  All the friendliness had disappeared from Leo's demeanor. The battle lines were clearly drawn.

  "A murder investigation isn't classified as harassment, and yes, I'm going to be talking to them."

  If they're going to tell me something you don't want me to know, now is the time to say it.

  "I think it's time you leave my home."

  Tanner had been waiting for the invitation to go fuck himself and here it was.

  "I'll collect my wife and do that. I am sorry for your loss."

  It's time for me to go, but I'll be back.

  Time to ask the friends some questions. Leo said his marriage was fine. Tanner had a feeling that a few others might have a far different opinion.

  15

  Tanner had hustled Maddie out of the wake-slash-celebration of life and down the street to the small cafe on the corner near the bank. The menu wasn't huge but the smells coming out of the kitchen were downright delicious. Maddie settled on a grilled chicken sandwich with house fries and Tanner had the smoked brisket platter.

  "Where did you disappear to?" Maddie asked him once they'd put their orders in. "I couldn't find you and then suddenly you were rushing us out of the door."

  "Let's just say that I don't think we'll be invited over anymore. Leo wasn't happy with me and asked me to vacate the premises."

  "You asked some tough questions."

  "Yes, and I didn't like myself when I was doing it but they couldn't go on unasked. I have a feeling that Ken didn't ask those questions."

  "Those questions? About the state of their marriage?"

  "Bingo. We were doing fine up until then, but when I asked that he got real pissy real fast. Not a happy camper."

  "What did he say about us seeing Bibi last night?"

  Tanner grinned and took a drink of his iced tea. "He said that we were obviously mistaken.”

  "Mistaken?"

  "Mistaken," Tanner confirmed. "As in you can't believe your lying eyes. He said that it was dark and it must have been someone else."

  "What do you think? Do you think that we're wrong?"

  "No. Do you think that you're wrong? Are you second-guessing it?"

  Thinking back to the scene last night, Maddie shook her head. "It was Bibi. I saw her clearly. Unless she has a twin. That's the one case you've never had, Tanner. An evil twin."

  "It was only a matter of time before I got one. I can't tell if Leo is in denial about Bibi being out last night or if he's just play-acting."

  "Do you think he's innocent?"

  "Too early to tell. I think his behavior is suspect but we don't put people in jail for acting strangely. If so, we'd have a full house and then some."

  "I don't know if I should tell you this," Maddie said, wincing at her news. "If you hadn't ran us out of there, I would have told you back at the condo."

  "Told me what?"

  "According to Ashley, Leo is leaving on Wednesday. Going to New York City to visit friends for awhile. So...no hurry solving the case or anything."

  "Shit," Tanner sighed.

  "Yep, shit. You probably have more questions for Leo now."

  "The first one would be to ask what's his hurry." Tanner nudged her leg with his foot. "Good job on getting that information, though. You might make a decent detective if you weren't such an amazing doctor."

  Maddie sniffed disdainfully. "Ava isn't the only one that can help. I can help, too."

  "Careful or I'll take you up on it."

  Really?

  "I wouldn't mind. For real. We could...work together. It might be fun."

  Tanner's brows rose. "Or it could be dangerous. There's a killer running around loose, remember? I don't mind you giving me tidbits of information but you're not going to put yourself into harm's way."

  "That goes for you, too." Maddie wagged a finger at her husband. "We're supposed to be on vacation, so no getting hurt or killed. Promise?"

  "Promise. Should we pinky-swear or something? That's what I did when I was a kid."

  "I'll take your word for it. Did you find out anything when you talked to Leo or was it a waste of time?"

  "Funny how you mentioned Ashley. Leo said that after you and I left last night Bibi and Ashley got into an argument. He said he's not sure what about though, but th
ere were raised voices. He assured me that Ashley wasn't a killer."

  "I didn't get the killer vibe from her either, not that I would know what it was if I did. She didn't act strangely today or anything."

  Their meals were slid in front of them, the aroma making Maddie's stomach growl. It had been hours since she'd last eaten.

  "How would we know if they were acting strangely?" Tanner asked. "We just met these people."

  "True." Maddie took a bite of her chicken sandwich and groaned. "This is so good. I'm starving."

  "Save room for dessert. I saw chocolate cake on the menu. We can share it."

  "Maybe I want my own piece."

  Laughing, Tanner bit into a fry. "Then honey, you can have your very own. I was just thinking it might be nice to share."

  He gave her a lascivious wink that had her giggling. He could be so goofy at times and she loved it.

  "So what do you do now? What are the next steps?"

  "First I need to talk to Ken Smith. Find out what questions he's already asked and I also need to get a copy of the coroner's report the minute it comes in. Then we need to talk to Leo and Bibi's friends. In the meantime, Jason and Logan are digging for more background information, including finances. Remember why people get murdered?"

  "Love, sex, revenge, or money. Did I get it right?"

  "You certainly did. You've been listening and learning. I would add power to that list, too. It's sort of like money but it has a nuance all its own. Of course, there's always the chance that this was simply a crime of opportunity. It doesn't happen often but it does happen."

  Had Bibi been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or had someone planned her murder? Hopefully, Tanner could find out.

  Quickly.

  Ken Smith had a copy of the preliminary coroner's report messengered over first thing in the morning so Tanner was able to read it over coffee. He and Maddie sat outside at the exact same table where they'd seen Bibi's body the morning before. It was hard to believe that this was only the third day of their vacation.

  Maddie refilled both of their cups and set the carafe back on the warmer before sitting across from him. It was another warm and sunny day, a soft breeze blowing her red curls.