“I know it’s a stretch, but do you think his Mexican heritage could have played some part in Laura's murder?”
“I have no idea,” Roger said, “but I've learned over the years not to leave any stone unturned. I'll ask him about that angle as well when I speak to him tomorrow.” He stood up and picked up his notepad. “Mrs. Langley, enough of this for tonight. We have about twelve hours before we can do anything more on this case. Personally, I'd like to make them count. After all it is our wedding night," he said, grinning as he turned off the lights and they walked down the stairs towards the bedroom.
CHAPTER 12
It’s all her fault I have to live my life from pill to pill. They’re the only things that keep me from becoming severely depressed again, but I’m sure not happy, and I know I never will be again.
Mitch Warren stood in front of the large living room window that overlooked the Lazy K Ranch. The late evening apricot sky was slowly shifting into blue, the precursor of the coming darkness of night. The lush green grass of the large front yard stood in sharp contrast to the freshly painted white picket fence that lined the lane that led to the ranch house. In the distance he saw a herd of his cattle as they grazed contentedly in the pasture, and closer to the ranch house he admired the barns that housed the horses. All in all, it was a very bucolic setting. No matter how many times he looked at the land that had been in his family for generations, he never tired of it.
His shoulders sagged as he turned away from the window and thought for the thousandth time about how Renee would have been perfect as his partner, his wife, in taking care of the land for future Warren generations to enjoy. It had been two years now, and he still couldn't believe she’d broken off her engagement to him and for that guy who was a relative newcomer to Dillon County. He shook his head, still having a hard time believing what had happened.
Mitch and Renee had known each other since high school. She'd been the homecoming queen, and he'd been president of the senior class. They had gone on to college, Renee to the University of California at Berkeley, much to her conservative father's dismay, and Mitch to Stanford. He'd wanted to marry her when they graduated from college. After all, it was a foregone conclusion they'd get married at some point. He was ready for it to happen right after college.
She’d refused, saying she wanted to get her psychology practice established first. The years went by, Mitch expanding the ranch by buying adjoining lands, and Renee developing a thriving psychology practice. Not a year had gone by that Mitch had not talked about getting married and urging Renee to set a date. She finally placated him by accepting an engagement ring from him. Her father was just as adamant that it was time for them to get married. For whatever reason, Renee continued to stall.
Renee became interested in county politics and was very involved in helping the local county Republican Party however she could, over time working her way up to county vice-chair of the party. Politics had never interested Mitch, and he had a hard time understanding her fascination with it. He still blamed politics for what happened to their relationship. He never knew the particulars, but what he did know was that one night he received a call from Renee asking him to meet with her. The next thing he knew, she was apologizing for not being able to marry him and handing him back the engagement ring she had worn for several years. She told him she hoped they'd be able to remain friends.
The next few months were the worst of Mitch's life. Not only had Renee broken up with him, but he soon learned that she was going to marry a man who was very involved in county politics by the name of Bob Salazar. Almost a year later family members insisted he seek professional help for treatment of his depression. The psychiatrist he’d been seeing in San Francisco recommended that he check himself into a mental hospital for treatment of his acute depression, which he did. The only non-family visitor during that time was Renee’s father. They had become very close over the years, probably because of their very strong conservative views.
As the months went by his attitude towards Renee began to change, and he began to hate her for what she had done to him - very simply breaking his heart. There were times when he honestly didn't know how he could get out of bed and face the day. There were other times when he was so angry at what had happened he thought he'd like to see her dead, but he knew he could never do anything to hurt Renee. The fact was, in spite of his newly professed hatred of her, he still loved her.
While he didn't like politics, and stayed as far away from it as he could, he was following the election contest between Bob Salazar and Reverend Jacobs with a great deal of interest. He’d even given Reverend Jacobs a large political contribution, financially footing an expensive mailer that gave all the reasons why Reverend Jacobs would make a very good county supervisor and why Bob Salazar would make a very bad one. Mitch had a number of employees on his ranch who were Mexican and even though the reverend's inner circle had asked Mitch to make a big deal of Bob being Mexican, he stopped short of doing that, because he was afraid it would create problems between him and the workers on his ranch.
Mitch assumed that the mailer he’d underwritten was the reason why Bob had dropped out of the race a few days after it was delivered to voters in the county. He felt good that he'd had a part in defeating Salazar. The morning after the election he poured himself a cup of coffee and opened the paper to see what the reverend's final vote count was, so he could call him and congratulate him on his win. It wasn't to be.
The large headline jumped out at him: “Salazar Wins County Supervisor's Seat by a Landslide.” Mitch had to read it three times before he fully comprehended what it meant. He took a sip of his coffee and sat back wondering what had happened that would cause this bizarre election result. After all, Bob Salazar had publicly dropped out of the race and by all rights should not have won the election, but he had. The newspaper recounted a number of theories, but no one could actually explain why it had happened. That was between each individual voter and their ballot and neither one of them was talking.
He spent the next few weeks deeply depressed. Even the pills couldn’t pull him out of it. Everyone knew Renee had left him for Bob Salazar and then to have Bob win the county supervisor's seat after he'd dropped out of the election was almost too much for Mitch to bear. He became consumed with how he could get back at Renee and Bob for ruining his life. One day he saw a photograph in the paper of Bob, Renee, her sister Laura, and their new baby, Celia. The article stated that Laura, a nurse, had agreed to live with the Salazars so Renee could continue to have her psychology practice and be an active and supportive political wife.
Mitch had met Laura on a number of previous occasions, and slowly a plan began to form in his mind - a way of getting back at Renee, yet one that would not cause any harm to her. He thought about his plan for several days before deciding it was very, very workable. While Laura's death would cause considerable psychological harm to Renee, it would not physically harm her, but was a way to get back at her for what she had done to him.
He bided his time, waiting for the perfect time and place to carry out his plan. When he read in the local paper that the new county supervisor and his wife would be attending the wedding and reception of a friend, he knew he'd found the right venue. The article had even stated it would provide a much need afternoon and night out for the couple – a time when they would simply be wishing Bob's friend, Roger Langley, and his bride, Liz Lucas, congratulations. The article had gone on to state that Renee's sister, Laura Hutchison, would be helping them by taking care of their infant daughter at Cindy's Bed & Breakfast in Red Cedar.
Mitch went into the den and unlocked his gun cabinet. He took the .38 caliber pistol equipped with a long cylindrical silencer from its case and looked at it. His father had used the pistol many years earlier to hunt varmints at night on the ranch. He’d attached a silencer to the end of the gun barrel so there would be no sound of a gunshot which could frighten the cattle and cause a stampede. Yes, he thought, this could easily handle t
he job, and it's been in the family so long there's no way it could be traced to me.
CHAPTER 13
“Bob, it's Roger. Were you and Renee able to get any sleep last night?”
“Yes, but it was a very long night. Renee had to break the news to her mother, and Camille did not take it well. We're headed there shortly. We're going to take her to our house for a while. She’s volunteered to help out with Celia, so Renee can go back to her psychology practice, but I think that will be a week or two. I don't know what we'll do then. The more we think about what happened to Laura, the more senseless it becomes.”
“I agree. It's completely senseless. Have you heard from Wes, the coroner, or Seth, the police chief?”
“Yes and no. The coroner called this morning and told me he wouldn't be able to do an autopsy until tomorrow afternoon. He said a very preliminary examination indicated Laura was shot at close range by a .38 caliber pistol. I haven't heard from the police chief.”
“Well, that's no surprise. I'd be willing to bet Seth is already at Gertie's Diner telling anyone who will listen all about the crime. I also wouldn't be surprised to see it in the paper tomorrow morning. It was probably too late to get it in this morning's edition, or at least I didn't see it if it was."
“Roger, I can't even begin to tell you how many calls I've had from people who heard about it and want to help. I finally quit answering my phone, and I’m letting the calls go to my answerphone. Everyone from the mail boy at the supervisor's office to the mail girl at the law firm in San Francisco has called, not to mention our friends and people associated with Renee's practice. It's really quite overwhelming to both of us.”
“I'm sure it is, but it's not surprising. You must be well-liked by the local residents of the county to win by such a wide margin. You know, Bob, I never asked you what made you change your mind about taking the job of county supervisor even though you'd withdrawn from the race.”
There was a long uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone. Roger finally broke it and said, “Bob, my legal training is telling me you're withholding something from me. If I'm going to help you, you've got to tell me everything that's relevant to the case. Something else we’ve never discussed is whether or not there’s someone, say a former lover, who would like to get back at you for marrying Renee.”
Again Bob was silent. Then he began to speak in a slow deliberate tone of voice. “Roger, is there any chance you could meet me late this afternoon at my law office? I'm still making the transition to county supervisor which is a full time job, so I'm leaving my law office open for a couple of months while I complete working on some pending cases. At the moment, the learning curve is high for my new job as county supervisor, but there are some cases in my law office that I need to make sure are handled properly. Let's meet at five. I'd rather tell you about a few things that might be of interest to you in person rather than on the phone."
“Yes, that would be fine. I'll see you then and again, please tell Renee how sorry I am about this.”
“Actually, I think Renee is talking to Liz right now. I heard her say she was glad to hear from Liz.”
“I'm not surprised. Liz and I talked last night and made some notes on what each of us thought needed to be done, and we kind of assigned the tasks. I'm glad to hear Liz is already on this.”
"So am I, but I think it's too bad the two of you are spending your honeymoon trying to find out who killed Laura. At least Renee and I had a real honeymoon.”
“You may have had the honeymoon,” Roger said, “but I sure wouldn’t want to go through what you you’re going through. I’m okay not having a honeymoon if it means we don’t have to go through something like that. See you at 5:00.”
*****
When Renee answered the phone, Liz said, “Renee, I'm so sorry to bother you, but Roger and I were talking about Laura’s case last night, and we made some notes. There are a couple of things I would like to follow up on. First of all, I think I know the director of the center where her ex-husband was receiving treatment, but I want to make sure before I contact him. I thought you said it was the Serenity Center.”
“Yes. That’s where he was. Are you familiar with it?”
“Not as to the program itself, but I’ve met the director at a couple of civic events. Actually, he even bought some gift cards from the spa for treatments and gave them to his staff last Christmas. As I remember, he was very nice."
“I think Serenity Center is one of the best ones around. Over the years I’ve worked closely with the director, Mike Hadley. He does a really good job. The Center has one of the lowest rates of recidivism - the rate of people who go back to drugs. When Laura told me Nick was going to try to get off of them for good after they were divorced, I recommended the Center to her. When you contact Mike, feel free to use my name."
“Will do. The second thing I'd like from you is the name of the wealthy rancher you were engaged to. I'm sure he had nothing to do with it, but I'd like to find out what I can about him.”
“Even though I didn't marry him, Mitch Warren is one of the nicest people I've ever met.”
"I’m sure he is, Renee, and I find it hard to believe he’d do anything that would hurt you, but since you did spurn him, he certainly qualifies as a possible suspect, in other words, someone who might have a reason for wanting to see you hurt."
She sighed softly into the phone. “Believe me, if there had been any way I could have gotten out of that relationship without hurting Mitch, I would have. I know I hurt him deeply, and I'll always regret that, but once I met Bob there was no one else for me, certainly not Mitch. I know he didn't understand why I couldn't marry him after so many years, but Bob became my life, and I've never regretted marrying him.”
“I understand, and it's obvious he's crazy about you.”
“Liz, there's someone else I hurt when I became involved with Bob - my father. I loved him dearly, but I couldn’t make him see what a wonderful man Bob is. He refused to give me away or even attend my wedding. All my father saw was that Bob was a Mexican, and my father was one of those who strongly believed they should all be sent back to Mexico. He couldn’t believe his daughter would marry one. When I was pregnant with Celia, who my father said he never wanted to see, he found out Laura was going to be our nurse and live with us, which only further infuriated him.”
“I can only imagine how hurt you must have been. Had you been close to him prior to your relationship with Bob?”
“Very. He and my mother divorced when I was quite young, but I have to give both of them credit. They never bad-mouthed the other one to either Laura or me.”
“Did either of them remarry?” Liz asked.
“Yes, my father did. My stepmother worshiped the ground he walked on. She was actually pretty obsessed with him. He literally could do no wrong in her eyes. She and I got along very well until I developed a relationship with Bob, and then she turned into a block of ice. If my father believed in something, Nancy believed in the same thing. In all the time I've known her, I honestly don't think she’s ever had an opinion of her own. Every opinion she had was the opinion my father held, and when my father and I became estranged, Nancy and I became estranged. Simple as that. I was no longer in either of their lives, and she did the same thing to Laura. Seems like such a waste.”
“Renee, I don't mean to be grilling you, but I do have one last question, and again, I have no idea what any of this means, but we have to start somewhere.”
“I understand. What can I answer for you?"
“Roger mentioned that Bob dropped out of the race for county supervisor about two weeks before the election. He gave the reason that he wanted to spend more time with you and Celia. Do you know why he made that decision? Roger told me he’d been very active in county politics. I understand that's how the two of you met. Is there something I should know about that?”
Renee was quiet for some time. “Liz, I've often wondered about why he dropped out of the race. He never asked m
y opinion or gave me any reason other than what you just said. He left one morning telling me he was cautiously optimistic about winning the race and came home that evening and told me he'd held a press conference and dropped out of the race, giving me the reason you just mentioned. I wish I could tell you more. I just don't know.”
“Thank you, Renee. Again, I want to tell you how sorry Roger and I are about Laura. If there's anything you need, or if I can help in any way, please call me. Oh, by the way, I just had a thought. I've never heard Bob mention his parents. Are they still alive?”
“Yes, they live in the Central Valley. I've only met them once. We had a very small wedding, and they were in the middle of a harvest and couldn't make it. Actually, none of his family was there, and since Bob was persona non grata with my father, Laura and my mother were the only ones on my side of the family.”
“Can you tell me a little about Bob’s parents? Seems like they'd be pretty proud of their son.”
“Like I said, I've only met them once. We drove down to their house in the Central Valley. They have a lot of farm land there. Although Bob told me their land is quite valuable, their home was very small. Bob said they'd lived in it as long as he could remember. He was the youngest of six children and pretty much the only one who had made something of himself. I guess two of his sisters had children out of wedlock, and all three of his brothers were involved in drugs. They worked on the family farm for a while, but two were killed in drug deals that went bad, and the third’s in prison for dealing drugs. His two sisters live at home with his parents, and his mother is helping to raise their children. Although he didn't have many good things to say about his sisters or his brothers, he’s clearly devoted to his parents.”
“In that case it seems very strange to me they wouldn't have come to your wedding. Were they at the swearing-in ceremony when Bob became a county supervisor following the election?”
Murder At The Bed & Breakfast Page 4