The Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 7)

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  James thought it over and made a decision. “OK, I can at least bring Ms. Black and Matthew in for questioning. In the meantime, I’ll work on getting a judge to grant us a search warrant. If we find Jeffrey’s notebook, then it might be enough to place him under arrest provided he doesn’t have an alibi and our witnesses can make a positive ID.”

  “You have to make it happen tonight,” I said. “If they still have that notebook, they might be burning it as we speak.”

  James got on his phone and barked some orders to the person on the other end. After he clicked off, he motioned for me to stay put, then left his office in haste.

  As I waited for him to return, my phone rang. I figured it was Carter, but it wasn’t.

  “Vicki?”

  “Hey, Sarah,” she said. “I just got back into town and saw that you called. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but there was no internet connection at the campground. Anyway, what did you want to ask me about?”

  I decided not to mention that her husband was a person of interest in Jeffrey’s death. “Vicki, I’ve been thinking about those texts you sent Jeffrey the day before he died.”

  “What about them?”

  “You told us that Jeffrey had a guilty conscience, and you specifically suggested that he tell his wife what happened. Well, why would you suggest that he tell his wife the truth about something when you didn’t even know what it was?”

  Vicki didn’t respond.

  “Look,” I said. “I know about the fake reviews that Jeffrey posted on Amazon. I just need to know why he agreed to do it.”

  “Why does it matter now?”

  “Because Jeffrey didn’t kill himself. He was most likely murdered.”

  Another long silence before she finally said, “Oh my God. It was Samantha, wasn’t it?”

  Just the fact that Vicki knew to say her name, gave me the resolve to push. “You knew about it the whole time, didn’t you? Of course Jeffrey told you the truth. You’re his therapist. Question is, why didn’t you ever tell us?”

  “Because I wanted to preserve Jeffrey’s memory. After he was gone, I saw no point in bringing it all to light. If I ever thought for a second that Jeffrey had been murdered, I would’ve gone to the police straight away.”

  “Well, I guess I can understand that, but if you have evidence that implicates Samantha in Jeffrey’s death, you need to come into the station now. Will you?”

  “Just give me a little time to gather all my patient files on Jeffrey, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Chapter 25

  Both Carter and Vicki showed up at the station within minutes of each other. Carter had the laptop, and Vicki had a briefcase containing all her patient files on Jeffrey.

  “Where is James?” Carter asked when he found me sitting in his office alone.

  “He and a few other officers already left for Samantha’s house.”

  “Are they going to arrest them?”

  “No, but they’ll escort them back here for questioning. In the meantime, Vicki has something to share with us, I believe.”

  Vicki’s face was void of color as she sat down and placed the briefcase in her lap. “It’s all in here. I didn’t lie about the fact that Jeffrey had been keeping things from me. I knew things were bad for him for weeks, but he wouldn’t tell me the truth until the day before he died. And, yes, that’s why I sent him those texts. I was worried about him.”

  Carter and I waited for her to continue.

  “Jeffrey told me that Samantha had invited him to her house, said she wanted to offer him her help with his writing career. She made Jeffrey feel that he was special, told him he had what it took to be a bestselling author. Of course, he wanted to believe it. And because she was such a success, he looked up to her. He was flattered that she recognized his talent.”

  This sounded like a similar story Ben told me just hours ago, but I had a feeling that Jeffrey’s experience with Samantha had not turned out the same.

  Vicki went on. “Samantha made him a cup of coffee, and they began talking about writing. Twenty minutes into the discussion, Jeffrey started to feel lightheaded, and the next thing he knew he was naked in bed with Samantha. He claimed he didn’t remember having sex with her, but he couldn’t explain how he got his clothes off. He fell asleep in her bed. When he woke up a few hours later, Samantha had a proposition for him.”

  “A proposition?” Carter asked.

  “Apparently, Samantha had recorded a video of them in bed. And she threatened to send it to his wife.”

  “So that’s how she entrapped him into doing the fake reviews?”

  Vicki nodded. “Jeffrey knew that if Mary saw that video, she’d leave him because of his past transgression with a co-worker many years ago. Something that Jeffrey had worked hard to make up to his wife. I urged him to tell Mary the truth, but he was afraid she’d never believe his story.”

  “Samantha must have known that Jeffrey was capable of creating all those fake usernames to post the reviews,” I said. “Not only that, she would have had to know that Jeffrey’s wife was sensitive to his prior indiscretion.”

  “I don’t know how she could’ve known about that, but she’s proven herself to be quite a resourceful lady. At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past her.”

  “Even murder?” Carter asked.

  “Yes, but I highly doubt she’d do the deed herself.”

  “You’re right about that,” I said. “She most likely had Matthew go to the park and kill Jeffrey. Then Matthew staged the body to look as though he had jumped off the bridge.”

  Vicki wiped her eyes. “Jeffrey was a good man. I told him I forgave him for posting those negative reviews on my books. He said he was going to make everything right. He was going to contact Amazon and tell them what he had done. Sure, he would probably get in trouble and be banned from selling his books on their site, but at least he could make up for his mistake. He wouldn’t have to live with the guilt anymore.”

  “So, why didn’t he ever do that?”

  “He was planning to, but Samantha . . . she got to him before he got the courage to go forward.”

  I shuddered to think how Mary would react to this. “Are you willing to testify to everything you just told us, in the event Jeffrey’s murder goes to trial?”

  “Are you kidding?’ she said. “I’ll be the first in line.”

  A few seconds later, James returned to his office with news. “We have them both in custody. They are being held in two separate interview rooms.”

  “They came on their own free will?” I asked.

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t give them much choice. Right now, we’re trying to establish an alibi. Matthew claims he was at the gym between nine and ten-thirty a.m., so I had a guy look into it. Mathew did swipe his membership card at the gym at eight-fifty-five, but we don’t know if he stayed at the gym until ten-thirty like he claims. He could’ve left as soon as he swiped his card.”

  “What about surveillance cameras at the gym?” Carter asked.

  “We’re waiting to receive copies of the video, but that could take a little time. In the meantime, I contacted our two witnesses from the park. They’re on their way here now and will hopefully confirm that Matthew is the guy they saw at the park wearing the Red Sox cap.”

  “What about the search warrant?” I asked.

  “Still waiting for the judge to sign off on that.”

  I introduced James to Vicki. “This was Jeffrey’s therapist, and she has damning evidence that will strengthen our case against Samantha.”

  “Good, I’ll have one of my men get her official statement.” James pointed to the microwave on the counter. “There’s some instant coffee in the cabinets if you want to heat up some water. It’s gonna be a long night.”

  After James left, my gut was tied in knots. Coffee was probably not the best decision.

  “Should I call Mary and tell her what’s happening?” I asked Carter. “Or wait till we have more infor
mation?”

  “I think you should call her with an update, but don’t have her come to the station. There’s nothing more we can do but wait.”

  Chapter 26

  Over the next eight hours, several good things happened, and several not-so-good things happened.

  The first bad thing happened when Samantha and Matthew lawyered-up as soon as they were both placed under arrest—Matthew for murder, Samantha for conspiracy to commit murder.

  Second bad thing: After a thorough search of Samantha’s home, Jeffrey’s notebook was never recovered, and neither were any discriminating photos or digital videos of Jeffrey and Samantha in bed.

  First good thing: The police got the surveillance footage from the gym and were able to prove that Matthew swiped his card in the morning at 8:55, but then left a few minutes later, which was a good indication that he was trying to establish an alibi ahead of time. He probably had no idea there were surveillance cameras that could prove he left the gym.

  Second good thing: Clarissa Monroe confirmed that Matthew was the same guy she saw at the park with the Red Sox cap.

  So, along with Vicki’s testimony, James felt pretty confident that the DA would have enough to convict Matthew, but Samantha was going to be a bit more complicated.

  “This could turn out to be a long, ugly trial,” James said to me and Carter over a cup of coffee and an omelet at the Hometown Diner. He had worked straight through the night, and this was his first chance to relax and eat a hot meal.

  “I can’t believe how this case turned,” I said. “It just blows my mind how evil Samantha is. It’s alarming what some people will do to get ahead in this world.”

  “Yeah, but we have our ducks in order, thanks to you guys. You really came through.”

  “Is there anything else Carter and I can do to help?” I asked.

  “Not at the moment. After I eat breakfast, I’ll go home, take a shower, and try to get a few hours of sleep. When I get back to the station, I’ll assess where we’re at. I’ll call if we need you.”

  I took a bite of my eggs and washed it down with coffee. “At least Amazon erased all the fake reviews and removed every single one of Samantha’s books. The person I spoke with in customer service was very understanding, especially after I faxed over the fake account numbers and usernames. Apparently, Amazon has a no tolerance policy when it comes to entities trying to scam the system. At least Vicki, Jessica, and Ben have a fighting chance now.”

  “Yeah,” Carter said, “and, if this trial becomes national news, Jeffrey’s book will be a bestseller.”

  I smiled. “It gives me a warm feeling inside to know that Mary will benefit greatly from that.”

  “By the way,” James asked, “how is Mrs. Kendrick doing?”

  “I talked to her a few hours ago and she’s still numb, I think. It’s going to take some time for all this craziness to sink in. But she’s heartbroken, of course. I can’t seem to find the right things to say to her, to ease her pain.”

  “There is nothing you can say, just takes time.”

  “What about that five grand?” I asked. “Can you tie that to Samantha?”

  “We haven’t looked into Samantha’s financials yet, but we may find that she paid Jeffrey that money as a little extra assurance that he’d keep his end of the bargain. But in the end, that money will go back to Mrs. Kendrick.”

  “Yeah, well, she says she doesn’t want it.”

  “Dirty money or not, it won’t do anyone any good if it just sits there in the evidence room.”

  The waitress came around to refill our mugs. When she left, Carter asked James, “What are the chances that Matthew and Samantha will get convicted?”

  James shrugged. “Too early to say at this point, but if Matthew’s case goes to trial, there’s a good chance he’ll be found guilty. If that happens, then Samantha is going down, too.”

  “It’ll be interesting to see who comes out of the woodwork,” I said. “There could be other people out there that Samantha has screwed over in the past. If they come forward and testify against her character, who knows what can happen.”

  “Good point,” James said. “I hadn’t thought about that. I hope you’re right.”

  Carter added more Tabasco to his eggs. “Do you think the judge will let them free on bail?”

  “Probably, as long as they don’t pose any flight risks. We should find out soon enough.” James held up his coffee mug to us. “Here’s to you guys, for breaking this case wide open. If it wasn’t for your tenacity, Jeffrey Kendrick would never have his justice.”

  We all clinked our coffee mugs. “And here’s to making an honest living,” I said. “One paycheck at a time.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Carter said.

  Conclusion

  A few weeks after Samantha and Matthew were arrested for Jeffrey’s murder, Matthew’s attorney convinced him to accept a plea deal for a manslaughter charge which resulted in a sentence of twelve years in prison. As part of the deal, Matthew agreed to implicate his wife Samantha as the mastermind behind the murder. He explained that Samantha came up with the plan to kill Jeffrey after he threatened to contact Amazon and admit to the scam.

  However, even though Matthew pled guilty to the murder, his lawyer advised him not to give the details of how he did it? Since no murder weapon was recovered, Carter and I suspected that Matthew could’ve used a rock to knock Jeffrey unconscious before he shoved him into the water where he drowned.

  Despite the lack of details, Matthew’s testimony was a big win for the DA in Samantha’s case. If she went to trial and was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, the maximum jail sentence would be 25 years. Since the DA had enough evidence to convict her, she decided to plead guilty to a lesser charge instead of taking her chances with a jury. In the end, the judge sentenced her to six years in prison.

  After the news about Samantha Black made national headlines, Mary began receiving calls from agents and publishers interested in buying the rights to Jeffrey’s book. Some of the offers were too good to pass up, so after much consideration, Mary decided to retain the ebook rights to Jeffrey’s book, but sold the printing rights to a publishing company, which would allow Jeffrey’s novel to be sold as paperbacks in bookstores around the country. Mary made over a hundred grand on the deal. But most importantly, Jeffrey’s book would finally get the exposure it deserved.

  Once the negative reviews were removed from their books, Vicki, Jessica and Ben decided to continue their weekly writer’s meetings. I was happy to find out that Vicki reconsidered giving up her writing career. In fact, she started writing a new book about meditation and healing, with Jeffrey as the inspiration behind it.

  Over the course of the next month, I finished reading all of their books. My takeaway? I was impressed by the level of passion that went into their work. It was inspiring on many levels, and reinforced what I already knew about my own life. I was living my passion by helping my clients find closure to unsolved issues in their lives.

  And, there was always room to grow and improve my craft.

  The End

  A Game of Deception

  Sarah Woods Mystery Book 21

  by

  Jennifer L. Jennings

  Chapter 1

  The last person I ever expected to hear from on that sunny, autumn morning was Max Stevens.

  At the sound of his voice, my heart did a little flip-flop inside my chest. It had been over a year since we’d spoken, and about six months since our last email correspondence.

  “Hey Sarah,” he said. “Long time no talk.”

  I was speechless for a few seconds before I got my mouth to work. “Hey, what a surprise. How are things?”

  “Busy. Work is great, but they have me traveling all over the country. Which is why I’m calling. I’ll be in Bridgeport for a few days and I’d love to see you.”

  Max and I had dated for about a year and a half until he moved to San Fransisco for work. However, we’d parted on
friendly terms. “Of course, I’ll make time to see you.”

  “I know it’s last minute, but I was thinking I could take you to dinner tonight. If Carter is around, invite him to come, too.”

  I was relieved to know that Max respected the fact that I was in a relationship. “Actually, Carter is gone for a few days.”

  “Where?”

  “Orlando. You know how he likes his gadgets, well, there’s a trade show that has a prototype spy camera that he’s especially eager to get his hands on.”

  “Why didn’t you go with him?”

  “I would’ve gone, but this is the only weekend that Brian can come home from Boston. I’m going to take him out shopping for some new dishes, towels, stuff like that. He just moved in with his girlfriend.”

  “Wow, I can’t believe your son is so grown up, now.”

  “Ha! Tell me about it.”

  After a short pause, he cleared his throat. “So, would Carter be upset if you had dinner with me?”

  “I don’t see why he’d care. I mean, he trusts me.”

  “Good. I can swing by and pick you up around seven.”

  A twang of guilt pricked at my stomach because this was starting to sound more like a date. “I’ll meet you, instead.”

  “All right. How about the Mexican place we used to go. I miss their margaritas.”

  “Perfect. I haven’t been there in months.”

  “Seven, then.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  When I ended the call, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the cell phone in my hand. I might’ve been shaking ever so slightly, but it wasn’t because I still had feelings for Max. Well, maybe I still had one or two feelings for the guy, but that was to be expected.