The Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 7)

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Theresa said as she entered the kitchen. She was dressed in sweatpants, sweatshirt, and the same house slippers. Wet hair combed back from her face, I noticed she’d made the effort to put on some lipstick. She wasn’t a beauty queen, but she had smooth skin, pleasant features, and striking hazel eyes.

  “No problem,” I said. “I was just looking at the pictures of you and Vicki. When were they taken?”

  “Oh, a few years ago, I’d say.” Theresa took one of the photos in her hand and lightly touched her finger on Vicki’s unblemished face.

  “Vicki told me about the fire in the barn,” I said. “Must have been a terrifying experience, not to mention the loss of her horse. She said they never found out how the fire was started.”

  “Nope, they never did.”

  “It’s really nice of you to let Vicki stay here for a while. I’m sure she appreciates it.”

  Theresa returned the photo to the fridge. “I’ve already told her that she can stay as long as she wants.”

  “Your husband doesn’t mind?”

  “I’m not married. Well, I used to be a long time ago, but he was not a kind man.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  She shrugged. “So, if I may be so bold to ask, why did my sister hire a private detective? Are you looking into the cause of the fire?”

  Odd that she would assume I was investigating the fire. “No, in fact, Vicki didn’t hire me at all. I work for the wife of Jeffrey Kendrick.”

  Theresa inhaled sharply. “That man who killed himself?”

  “Right. It’s beginning to look like maybe he didn’t kill himself after all.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Look, I know you and Vicki are close, and I would never want you to betray her trust, but did your sister ever mention she was having an affair with Jeffrey?”

  I fully expected Theresa to react with surprise, but she simply shrugged. “No, that’s not Vicki’s style. But I wouldn’t blame her if she’d had an affair.”

  “Why did she leave her husband?”

  “Because Brent is a control freak. Insanely jealous. He thought she was sleeping with all of her male clients. And it’s not like Vicki gave him a reason to distrust her; as far as I know, she’s never cheated on him. I remember they got into a fight once over her horses. He thought she spent too much time with them and not him. I mean, really? Jealous of a pair of horses? Ridiculous, if you ask me.”

  “So, that’s why she left him? Because he was controlling and jealous?”

  “Are those not good enough reasons?”

  “I’m not one to judge.”

  “Well, let me tell you, she’s better off without him. The man wasn’t even supportive of her writing career. Wanna know why? Because he was afraid she would become rich and famous. Can you believe that?”

  “Vicki told you all this herself?”

  “Well, not exactly, but I’ve been able to piece it all together. Vicki doesn’t like to talk bad about anyone, no matter how awful they are. That’s just her nature. She’s very forgiving and loyal to a fault.”

  When my phone rang, I checked to see that it was Carter. “Theresa, do you mind if I take this call real quick? It’s my partner.”

  “Sure, go right ahead. Take your time.”

  I turned slightly and spoke quietly into my phone. “Hey Carter, what’s up?”

  “I found out Brent Macomber was arrested a few months ago for assault. Guy’s name, Kyle Ledger. I don’t have all the details yet, but I’m looking into it. Where are you?”

  “I’m talking with Theresa, Vicki’s sister, so I should let you go for now. I’ll call you when I leave here.”

  “Roger that. Over and out.”

  When I turned back to Vicki, I said, “Did you know that Brent was arrested a few months ago for assault?”

  She was drinking water from a glass and almost choked. “Yes, oh my goodness, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about that.”

  “Who is Kyle Ledger?”

  “One of Vicki’s clients. Like I told you before, he was convinced she was sleeping around.”

  “Sounds like Brent is a violent man. Has he assaulted any of her other clients?”

  “If he has, Vicki didn’t tell me about it.”

  All of a sudden it clicked. What if Brent assumed Jeffrey was sleeping with Vicki, too? Was Brent the guy who was seen with Jeffrey that morning down on the rocks?

  “Theresa,” I said, trying to contain my excitement, “is Brent a Red Sox fan?”

  “I don’t know. He’s from Maine, so I assume he’s a Red Sox fan. Why do you ask?”

  “Have you ever seen him wear a Red Sox cap before?”

  She pinched her chin, as if in deep thought. “Not that I recall.”

  “As far as you know, has Brent ever hurt your sister physically?”

  Theresa mashed her lips, like she was afraid to answer that question.

  “Well, has he?” I persisted.

  “I don’t know, but if there was any proof he hurt her, I’d go over to the farm and shoot him myself.”

  It was clear that Theresa despised her brother-in-law, but there had to be more that she wasn’t saying. The words came out of my mouth before thinking, and I immediately regretted them. “You think he started that fire in the barn, don’t you?”

  She turned away, set the glass on the counter, and let out a discouraged sigh. “Every time I bring it up to Vicki, she doesn’t want to talk about it. But yes, I have a bad feeling about that.”

  I reached into my wallet and produced a business card for Theresa. “This is my number if you ever want to call me. And when Vicki gets back, could you tell her I need to speak with her immediately.”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Thank you so much for talking to me. I really appreciate it.”

  * * *

  When I got home around six-fifteen p.m. I walked into the kitchen that smelled like bacon, and the makings for BLT sandwiches were on the counter. I walked into the living room to find Carter lounging on the couch with his laptop and a notebook.

  “Hey,” he said, “I’m looking into the assault victim, Kyle Ledger, but so far, I can’t find a connection between him and Brent Macomber.”

  I kicked off my shoes and joined him on the couch. “Theresa told me that Kyle Ledger is Vicki’s client. Or at least, he was before Brent attacked him. She also thinks Brent was the one who caused the fire in the barn.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Do you think she was serious?”

  “I don’t know if she’s being melodramatic, or if there’s any merit to her claim. But one thing’s for sure, we need to establish Brent’s alibi for the morning Jeffrey died. Question is, should we wait for Detective James to pursue it, or should we talk to Brent ourselves?”

  “James has enough to work on right now. Let’s do it.”

  “Brent could be a dangerous guy. If he feels confronted, then he might lash out at us.”

  “I know how to handle guys like him. But let’s eat before we go anywhere.”

  Chapter 17

  “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” I said to Carter as we pulled up to the farm and parked in front of the house. “It’s getting dark out, and Brent might not recognize us. He might come out with a shotgun and shoot us for trespassing.”

  “Relax,” he said, “and let me do all the talking. Remember, I helped him out with the troubleshooting on his truck.”

  I let out a nervous chuckle. “You think that makes you guys best friends or something?”

  “No, but I established a bond. We’re just a couple of guys who are interested in antique vehicles.”

  “If you say so.”

  Carter opened the glove compartment and withdrew his gun. He wedged it into the back of his waistband, then we exited the Buick. As we made our way to the front door of the farmhouse, a bloodcurdling noise stopped us in our tracks.

  We both turned toward the barn from where the no
ise had come.

  “What the heck was that?” I said in a low voice.

  A light shone from inside the barn and, through a dusty window, we could see the ghostly outline of a man wielding an ax or a similar weapon. The God-awful sound erupted again and it made my skin crawl. I reached into my purse and felt the cool metal as my fingers wrapped around the butt of my pistol.

  “I don’t know what he’s doing in there,” Carter said, “but I’d rather you go back to the car and wait for me.”

  “I have a better idea. Let’s both leave and let the cops question him.”

  Carter kept his gaze straight ahead, focused on the window and the shadow moving inside. His body was rigid as he moved closer to the barn, one hand reaching toward the back for easy access to his gun.

  A breeze wafted past my face bringing the scent of death. I had to remind myself this was a farm, and animals were often slaughtered on a farm. Still, my whole body was buzzing with anticipation.

  When Carter was only a few feet away from the barn, the door flew open and banged on the outside wall. Brent walked out, his shirt and jeans covered with blood. Thankfully, his hands were empty.

  “Hey Brent,” Carter said, calmly. “Remember us?”

  “What are you doing here?” Brent grabbed a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped some of the blood spatter from his neck. “I told you, Vicki doesn’t live here anymore.”

  “Sorry if we came at a bad time,” Carter said, maintaining his conversational tone. “We need to ask you a few questions about Jeffrey Kendrick.”

  “Who?”

  “Jeffrey Kendrick. He was one of Vicki’s clients. Died last week.”

  “Sorry, never met the guy.” Brent turned to head back to the barn.

  “We have reason to believe Jeffrey was murdered, and the detective asked for our help in securing alibis. If you can remember where you were on the morning of the twenty-fifth around ten, we can make sure no detectives come sniffing around your property.”

  Brent just stood there, unmoving except for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Had he taken offense to the question? I couldn’t tell.

  “I was here alone, just like every other day,” he said. “That’s all I can tell you.”

  “Can anyone corroborate that you were here?” Carter asked.

  “I said I was alone.”

  “What kind of work you got going on inside the barn, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Just got done slaughtering a pig.”

  “With an ax?”

  “Not glamorous work, but it’s what I do. You can come inside and see for yourself, if you don’t believe me. Though, if you got a weak stomach, I’d recommend you pass.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Carter nodded toward the barn. “I heard about the fire that destroyed the building. You did a good job on the new construction. Still, it’s a real shame about that horse.”

  Brent didn’t seem to take the bait. “Is that all?” he said, gesturing toward the barn. “I really need to get back to work.”

  “Go ahead,” Carter said. “We’ll get outta your hair.”

  As Carter and I turned and made our way back to the Buick, I sensed Brent watching us. And even as we pulled out of the driveway, I saw him in the rearview mirror. He looked like a stone statue, eyes fixated on our car.

  Once we were on the main road heading back to Bridgeport, I tried to relax. “Do you really think he was slaughtering a pig?”

  He patted my knee and chuckled. “Don’t let your imagination take over, Sarah. It’s a farm. Sometimes, they have to slaughter animals. Where do you think that bacon came from that we ate for dinner tonight?”

  “Pretty sure I won’t be eating bacon again.”

  “Speaking of bacon, let’s head to the police station and see if James is still around. We have to tell him about Brent.”

  * * *

  After Carter and I explained our theory about Brent Macomber, Detective James agreed to pull his arrest record for the assault against Vicki’s client, Kyle Ledger.

  He took his time reading it, going through each page methodically. Finally, he looked up at us and said, “The assault is not what you think. Read it if you want, but you’ll come to the same conclusion.”

  “Tell us,” Carter said.

  “Mr. Ledger had been stalking Vicki. Brent caught him on their property on the night of May sixth, thought he was a burglar. Messed him up pretty bad. A few broken ribs, busted nose, concussion. Anyway, Mr. Ledger pressed charges. Vicki defended her husband to the judge, said he was only trying to protect her. She admitted in her statement that her client had become fixated on her, which isn’t uncommon with therapists and patients.”

  “Wait,” I said. “Vicki’s sister Theresa said that Brent was a jealous and controlling guy. That he became violent because he thought Vicki was sleeping with her clients.”

  “Well,” James said with a shrug, “let me do a quick search on Kyle Ledger, see what pops up.”

  A few minutes later, the detective smiled as he stared at his monitor. “There have been numerous complaints written about Mr. Ledger. Apparently, he likes to expose himself in public.”

  “Looks like our theory about Brent just crumbled.”

  “Even so,” I said, “just because Brent had good cause to beat up that creep, doesn’t mean he’s not a jealous control freak who saw Jeffrey as a threat and then killed him.”

  Carter nodded. “That’s true, unless there’s someone else with a motive. Maybe we keep an eye on Brent while keeping our options open.”

  “Brent drives that old pickup. Maybe one of our witnesses saw it at the park last Saturday morning.”

  “Good call,” James said. “I’ll make a note of that. What kind of pickup?”

  “1968 Chevy C10 short bed,” Carter said. “Gold and white. License number is Chevy68. Easy to remember.”

  James removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes. “It’s late, and I’m heading home right after I call the witnesses. I’ll try to set up meetings for the morning.”

  “I know this wasn’t your case,” I said, “so we appreciate you taking the extra time to look into this.”

  Chapter 18

  The next morning while Carter showered, I lay in bed propped up on pillows with my laptop. I’d been meaning to go on the Amazon website and buy Jessica’s and Ben’s books. I was also curious to check out the negative reviews that they’d complained about.

  Jessica had three books in a series written in the fantasy genre. The first book had a total of 38 reviews with a 3.4 average. Out of the 38 reviews, ten of them were bad. Some of the bad reviews stated that the plot was weak and the characters were shallow. Some reviews pointed out that there were typos and grammar problems. A few of them said the writing was amateur and dull. One reviewer went so far as to call the author homophobic.

  Next, I went to Ben’s books and checked out the reviews on the first book in his series. He had 45 reviews with a 3.2 average, and 12 negative reviews. As I read the bad reviews, I began to notice that some of the usernames were the same as the ones used by the people who had left bad reviews on Jessica’s books. In fact, when I went back to compare them, nine of the readers had reviewed both authors’ books. These particular readers didn’t use real names: catlover98, shereads22, bookbabe33, and so on.

  I remembered that Vicki had also complained about a barrage of negative reviews lately so I checked her books. I found the negative reviews on her books were left by the same readers who’d left the negative reviews on Jessica’s and Ben’s books.

  Samantha had so many books within multiple series. I checked the negative reviews on each first book and found the same readers with the negative review track record had left negative reviews there. However, unlike Vicki, Ben, and Jessica, Samantha had hundreds of positive reviews on each book. Therefore, the negative reviews didn’t seem to matter to her overall review score. Not only that, because so many positive reviews had been posted af
ter the negative ones, the negative ones got buried.

  I fully expected to find the same reviewers leaving negative comments on Jeffrey’s book, but his only had one negative review out of fifty, and the username didn’t match any of the others.

  My mouth felt dry as I tried to imagine what was going on.

  When Carter came back into the bedroom and found me still under the covers with my laptop, he said, “I just got off the phone with James. Clarissa Monroe, the woman who called nine-one-one, agreed to go to the station. She’ll be there at ten, so you should get ready.”

  “Yeah, sorry, I’ve been on Amazon looking at reviews.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been curious about the fact that Vicki, Ben, and Jessica have complained about negative reviews on their books. Come to find out, they all have one-star reviews from the same readers. I don’t know what to make of it, but this certainly can’t be a coincidence.”

  “Sounds fishy,” he said. “What about Jeffrey’s book?”

  “That’s the thing. He only has one bad review, but the reader uses a different username than the others.”

  Carter made a face. “You don’t think Jeffrey posted all those reviews, do you?”

  “Jeffrey was a computer wiz, and he probably knew how to create multiple usernames in order to leave the negative reviews. But why would he have sabotaged the careers of his fellow writer friends?”

  “Maybe he was jealous that they were selling more books than he was.”

  I closed my laptop and got out of bed. “I don’t know, but I can’t picture Jeffrey doing something like this. It’s so petty and shameful. Can we ask Cooper to find out if Jeffrey actually posted those negative reviews?”