Murderous Heart

by Lynne Waite Chapman

I slid through the opening, and put a finger to my lips. “Shh.” I whispered, “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

  Ellen glared at me. Ted nodded, so I focused on him.

  “You seem like such a gentle man. It’s hard to believe you killed Valentina Utkin.” I refrained from adding that it would have been easy to believe it of Ellen. “Would you explain it to me?”

  Ted hung his head. “It’s a long story. It started out innocent when she hired me to do some work around the place. She was real nice to me, but seemed sorta lonely. She worked out of town a lot so didn’t know many people. She invited me for lunch one day and I made the mistake of accepting. Then, I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly we got involved. I couldn’t help it. She loved me, depended on me.”

  He glanced at Ellen from the corner of his eye, and continued. “She said she wanted to see the city, but didn’t have anyone to go with. So, I took her. We had a good time and had our picture taken. Then, I was trapped. Valentina threatened to tell my wife unless I gave her money. First, it was a hundred dollars. Then, it was two. Then, it was more. I had to get into our savings.” Ted hung his head.

  Raising his eyes to his wife, he continued. “I knew I’d have to come clean, so I went to Ellen. Told her everything.” A smile crept onto his face. “Ellen’s a wonderful woman. She forgave me.”

  Ellen whispered. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “I broke it off with Valentina. Told her I’d already confessed to my wife, and I wasn’t paying any more money. Well, then, Valentina threatened to tell the whole town what I did. And she had the picture to prove it. That’s another mistake I made—letting her know that Ellen was a proud woman.”

  Ted took a breath and continued. “Valentina started yelling at me. She said I had no say in the matter. Our relationship would be over when she said it was, and not before. I usually like strong women, but that ticked me off. I yelled right back at her. I’ve been told I’m scary when I’m mad, ‘cause I’m so big. I raised my fist to her. I wouldn’t have hit her, but I’m sure she thought I would. It was just a threat. I wanted her to stop saying those things. Guess I really scared her, because she grabbed her chest and staggered a little. Then she sat down on the couch and started gasping for air.”

  Ted stood up and paced to the door and back. “I figured she was fooling me. Valentina would do that sometimes. She was—what was that called?”

  The big man looked to Ellen.

  She exaggerated each syllable. “Ma-nip-u-la-tive.”

  “That’s right. She’d act sad or sick, and tell me I was the only one who was nice to her. But she was faking. Fooling me, to get her own way.” Ted stared at the floor and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I wasn’t going to let her do that to me again, so I walked out. Didn’t even shut the door. I knew that would make her mad. I got in my truck and drove away.”

  He lifted his chin. “I worried, all night, that maybe she wasn’t fooling. So, I drove back down that street the next day to check on her and maybe try to talk to her. That’s when I saw the door was open, and wondered, had it been that way all night? She never left her door open. I knew something was wrong.”

  Ted ran his fingers through his hair, and blew out a breath. “So I parked and went up to the house. I was going to ring the doorbell when I saw her sprawled out on the floor. First, I thought she was doing it again. Ma-manipulating. Maybe saw me coming. I sort of jostled her with my foot but saw she wasn’t play-acting. She was out cold.”

  “I’d tried my hand at being an EMT once. Didn’t like it. Too many sick people. I got down beside Valentina to start CPR, but it was no use. She was dead.” Ted shrugged and seemed strangely relieved. “Gone. I knew she wouldn’t hurt my Ellen anymore.”

  “Did you call emergency services or the police?”

  He gave a brisk shake of his head. “No. What could they do? They wouldn’t have saved her. I’m not good at lying, so I knew the whole story would have come out, and embarrassed my beautiful wife.”

  Ted returned to his seat and took Ellen’s hands again. “She shouldn’t have to suffer for what I did.”

  Ellen interrupted. “It was my fault Ted didn’t phone the police. He called me to ask what he should do. I told him not to touch anything and to get out of that horrible place. I told him to keep quiet about it—forget it ever happened.”

  “When my friend and I found her she was in the car, in the garage. How did she get there?”

  Ellen blew out a sigh and stared at the ceiling.

  Ted glanced at his wife, and then turned to me. “It didn’t seem right to leave her on the floor. She didn’t look natural and her clothes were mussed. I thought I’d put her in bed but I would have had to put her into a nightgown. Sure didn’t want to do that.

  “Finally, I thought of the SUV. She was real proud of that car. She hadn’t had it long, and paid a lot for it. I carried her into the garage and put her in the back so she’d have enough room to be comfortable.” Ted nodded and smiled at me. “It was a perfect coffin for her. I thought she needed a flower so I got one from a vase she had on the coffee table, and put it in there with her. She liked flowers. A white rose. Did you know a white rose means silence? That was fitting, don’t you think? Valentina couldn’t manipulate me anymore.”

  He smiled at his wife. “I took the rest of the flowers and gave them to Ellen. They were just going to die if I left them.”

  “Oh Ted.” Ellen kicked the table leg.

  I glanced her way, thankful she was still cuffed.

  Returning my attention to her husband, I asked, “Let me get this straight. You knew Valentina was dead but didn’t tell anyone? You just put her in the car and went home as though nothing had happened? Wait. You went on taking care of the lawn?”

  “Sure. The grass was still growing. I knew I’d get my regular pay ‘cause she had the bank send it. I kept doing my job and sort of forgot about the whole incident. Then, one week the checks stopped showing up, so I quit doing her lawn.”

  “That would have been when her bank account ran out.”

  “I guess so.”

  Ellen sighed and shook her head. “He didn’t forget about it, he suppressed it. The memory weighed on him. Just look at him. He’s stopped caring about his appearance. Hasn’t let me cut his hair in months. He gained weight and he got lazy. He would only take a few maintenance jobs, and took forever to finish them. I had to step in and earn more money to support us.”

  Ted flashed his adoring puppy-dog eyes at his wife again. “And you were doing great at it, too.”

  The big man with slumped shoulders glanced toward me. “I’m glad you found Valentina. I don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

  I’d forgotten I was where I shouldn’t be until the door flew open. Jimmy Farlow stomped into the room holding a handful of papers. He came to a screeching halt when he saw me. “Halloren, what are you doing in here? I told you to stay in your interview room.”

  I stared at him, trying to think of something clever to say. “I got bored sitting in that little room all by myself and came over here to kill time.”

  Farlow glared at me. I gulped. “But I’ll go now.” I stumbled out of my chair and hustled to the door. “I’ll be in my room.”

  I sat in my little interview box, tapping my foot, and biding my time until Officer Smith poked his head in. “Sorry to keep you waiting Ms. Halloren. If you’ll just look over this witness statement and sign it if it’s correct. Then, you can go home.”

  I scanned the document. It was surprisingly accurate. Officer Smith must have been listening when I told him my story. I scribbled my name and thanked the officer. I didn’t want to wait another minute to get out of that room and on my way home.

  Before I turned the Chrysler’s ignition, I called Anita to tell her the mystery had been solved.

  Questions and ideas crowded out practical thought on the drive. Was Ted telling the truth? Would the teddy bear of a man really have an affair? Was he protecting Ellen? I kne
w she could be devious. Did she plan everything—even Ted’s confession? The authorities would never be able to pin down a cause of death.

  I glanced at a street sign. Crap. Once again, I’d driven well past my turn. I had to let go of the investigation and leave it up to the authorities, before I killed somebody.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  M y house came into view and my foot skidded to the brake. A blue luxury car took up the center of the drive.

  Would the day never end?

  Still half a block away, but I couldn’t attempt a U-turn in the street. I couldn’t sit where I was. Ducking down and driving by wouldn’t fly. The Chrysler wagon was easy to spot. Too late to avoid a visit with Perry Sizemore. Nothing left to do but park at the curb in front of my little home and act happy to see him.

  Mason sat at attention on the steps, defending the front door. Even from the street, I saw his eyes warning the large man to keep his distance.

  When Perry saw me walking across the lawn, he pulled himself from the cushy Lincoln seat, and ventured to the walk. Mason’s hair stood up on the back of his neck and a low growl reverberated in his throat.

  “It’s okay, Mason. I’ll take care of it now.” The cat crouched and swished his tail.

  “Hey, Perry. Sorry about the cat. He takes his caretaker responsibilities seriously. Been waiting long?

  “Not long. I was hoping you would be home soon. Do you have a moment to talk?”

  I did have a moment, but didn’t want to give it up. I wanted to go inside and shut the door to the world. But Perry stood in front of me, and if I were to be hospitable, I would talk. “Sure. The weather’s great isn’t it? Let’s sit here on the steps. You don’t mind do you?” I wasn’t taking hospitality so far as to invite the man inside.

  “Uh. No, not at all.” Perry grabbed the railing and lowered himself onto the concrete step.”

  Not my best idea, since his mass filled three-quarters of the space. Not much room left for me. I squeezed as close to the other railing as I could, and tried to appear comfortable.

  “What’s up?”

  “I want to talk to you about Valentina. It’s weighed heavy on my conscience, and I needed to come clean. I’ll tell you everything.”

  “That isn’t necessary, Perry. I just left the police…”

  He wasn’t listening. “She and I hit it off from the very beginning. To be honest, we had an affair. How could I resist? She was a beautiful woman and I believed her when she said she loved me.”

  How could you resist? Let me count the ways. Let’s start with remembering you had a wife you’d vowed to be faithful to.

  Perry continued. “I was a sucker. She asked for money and I gave her some. Her undying love died pretty quickly after that. It started failing about the time she asked for more—a lot more. I told her I couldn’t spare it, and she reminded me of a photo we had taken.

  It seemed innocent enough when she asked the waiter to snap a picture. We were all dressed up, and she said she wanted something to remind her of our time in the city.

  When I denied her request, she told me what she could do with the picture. It was proof of my infidelity, so I paid. I withdrew the cash from my savings.”

  Mason leapt from the steps to the ground and took off running across the yard. Following his trajectory, I noticed Anita making her way toward us. Her minivan was parked behind my Chrysler. That was a relief. While I was interested in his story, spending time alone with Perry wasn’t my favorite thing.

  He grabbed the railing and began to haul himself up. “I’ll be going.”

  “Stay, Perry. Anita already knows the story. We figured it out when we found the picture of you and Valentina in the photo album.”

  He released the railing and twisted toward me. “You saw my picture? Where is it? Do you have it?”

  The urgency in his voice startled me. All I could do was squeeze my lips together and shake my head.

  Anita arrived to save me, and used her most compassionate tone. “I’m sorry Perry. We don’t have the picture. The authorities know about the album by now, and will probably have it in their possession pretty soon. Lauren sent them an anonymous note telling about it.”

  Perry put his hands over his face. I flashed a glare at Anita.

  Anita shrugged at me and spoke to Perry. “Don’t lose heart. The police already have their suspect, so they probably won’t even go to look for the album. Or if they do, maybe they’ll overlook you.”

  I wasn’t sure how they could miss him. The well-known real estate agent, who was also very large, would stand out among the others. “Or, maybe they’ll be nice and not mention it.”

  Anita squared her shoulders and planted her fists on her hips. “One more thing, Perry.”

  Her tone caused him to snap his head up.

  “Whether the police find your photograph or not, it doesn’t matter. You’re guilty. Shame on you for breaking your wedding vows. The best thing to do is go right home and confess to your wife. Tell her the whole truth. A marriage is no good without honesty.”

  My friend, Anita, could be forceful when she wanted to be. Perry pulled himself up from the step, and without meeting her stern gaze, lumbered toward his car. “You’re right. I’m going home and figure out how to tell Marlene. I’d rather she hear it from me. Maybe the police won’t say anything, but someone might, someday. I won’t live a lie, looking over my shoulder, waiting for the truth to come out.”

  Anita took Perry’s place on the step, and we watched him back his car out of the drive.

  “I’m so glad this is over. Now, life can get back to normal.”

  “Don’t get too comfortable.” Anita gazed at me. “You’ll never guess what I saw this morning.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  S top. Don’t say another word. I don’t want to know. I want to go in and take a nap.”

  I tried to look away but was drawn back. Anita raised her eyebrows and maintained a steady gaze.

  “Okay. I give up. What did you see?”

  She plunged in. “I drove over to Irma’s house, to ask her if the police had searched the mummy house, or if they would. She said they hadn’t, yet.”

  Anita grabbed my arm. “So, get this. I was walking to the car when I noticed someone in Valentina’s backyard. And it wasn’t a policeman. Some guy walked across the yard from the direction of the sliding door. The one we went in.”

  I looked Anita in the eye. “Some guy? Could you see who?”

  My friend produced a smug smile and nodded. “You’ll never guess.”

  “Spit it out. If you make me guess, I will scream.”

  “You’re no fun. Okay, it was Lance.”

  I squinted at Anita. “Lance? Who is Lance?”

  “You know. Tonya’s husband! They live right next door to the mummy house. Remember, we talked to her? I didn’t recognize him at first. I’ve only seen him briefly at church. But he walked from Valentina’s, right into Tonya’s garage.”

  “Crap. What was he doing there? Do you suppose he was involved with her, too? What are we going to do with another suspect?”

  Anita shrugged. “Our crack police department hasn’t followed up on the lead we gave them. They sure haven’t secured the scene. People are walking in and out of that house. The evidence will be ruined, if it isn’t already gone.”

  I grabbed the railing and hoisted myself up. “I can’t take it anymore. No more waiting for the police. I’ll confess to breaking into the house and to sending the anonymous note. The police have to see that book.” I pulled my phone from my jeans pocket and punched in numbers.

  “Oh, Lauren. You’re calling the police?”

  “No. I’m not completely crazy. I’m calling Jack. He can go with me to get the album and take it to the authorities. They’ll listen to him.”

  ~~

  Three hours later, Anita and I sat in my Chrysler in front of the mummy house. When Jack pulled up behind us, I jumped out and went to meet him on the sidewalk.

/>   Anita was half-way out of the passenger seat when I blocked her exit. “Stay in the car. I don’t want you to be implicated. You still might have to post bail.”

  My friend pouted, but climbed back into the car.

  I stepped into the grass, poised to direct Jack to the patio door. I’d brought a screwdriver, and after watching Anita, I was fairly confident of my ability to jimmy the lock.

  Jack strode to the front door, so I backtracked, trotting after him. After two seconds of fiddling with the latch, he opened the door. How did he do that? Why hadn’t I ever learned that trick?

  Once inside, I asserted myself and scooted around Jack to show the way to the bedroom. A strong arm shot out, blocking my path and pushing me behind him.

  He whispered. “Didn’t you hear that? We aren’t alone in here.”

  Jack reached under his shirt and pulled out a handgun. “Stay put.” He crept into the living room.

  I followed his advice for about half a second before becoming too creeped-out to stay by myself. I inched up close behind Jack and latched on to his jacket.

  We’d made it to the center of the room when a man emerged from the hallway with the photo album in his hand. He jumped at the sight of us, his eyes riveted on Jack’s hand gun. The book went flying into the air and he plastered himself against the wall.

  “Don’t shoot, I’m unarmed.”

  “Stay there and put your hands up.”

  The panicked man threw his hands in the air. “I won’t give you any trouble. I’m just the neighbor.”

  Anita poked her head out from behind me. “Lance! What are you doing here?”

  I twisted toward her. “The question is, what are you doing here? I told you to stay in the car.”

  She shrugged. “And miss everything? You’d have all the fun.”

  Jack blew out a sigh. “One of you, call the police.”

  While we waited for the sound of sirens, I listened to one more confession of an affair with the infamous Valentina Utkin.

  “I saw that big guy over here several times—the guy who did the lawn. Only he wasn’t cutting the grass when he came. Something didn’t jive. I started to think she’d been leading me on, letting me believe I was the only one. It made me mad, so I came over to get the truth out of her.”