Was it just a coincidence that a call had come in, naming Mason, just after I’d talked to three of my top murder suspects? First Lyric, then Jacques, and finally Vince. All three would have had ample opportunity to call in the tip, especially if they thought I was getting too close to the truth. And if two of them were working together . . .
I took Vicki’s hand and met her eye. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise. You will have your wedding.”
A frightened smile flittered across her lips. “I know you will. I believe in you.”
That made one of us.
Steeling myself for what was to come, I turned toward the hallway that led to interrogation room one. If Mason was anywhere, it would be there. The same went for both Paul and Buchannan, and quite possibly Chief Dalton, if she’d been called in.
Acting as if I had every right to do so, I marched straight for the interrogation room door. If Garrison or the other cop noticed, they didn’t make a move to stop me. At this point, I was practically a regular, so maybe they just figured, “Why bother?”
I considered throwing open the door and demanding to be told what they thought they were doing. It would be dramatic, but it would also probably be counterproductive. Instead, I knocked, albeit angrily, and stood back, arms crossed over my chest, and waited.
The door opened after only a few seconds. Paul Dalton came to an abrupt halt when he saw me. A mixture of emotions flew across his face, before finally settling on resigned.
“Krissy,” he said. “I suppose I should have expected you.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, looking past him. Buchannan was half-seated on the table, almost casually, looking my way with an annoyed frown. Mason sat across from him, chair pushed back, one leg atop the other. I noted he wasn’t handcuffed, which I took for a good sign. He looked pretty relaxed for a man who’d just been dragged into the police station on suspicion of murder.
Paul stepped forward, invading my personal space until I took a step back. He pulled the door closed behind him. “We got a tip and had to follow up on it, Krissy.”
“It’s Mason,” I said. “He didn’t do it.”
“The evidence is compelling enough, we had to at least look into it.”
“Oh, really?” I tapped my foot. “And what evidence is that?”
Paul frowned. “You know I can’t divulge that information.”
“Who called in the tip?”
“I can’t tell you that either.”
I gave an exasperated huff. “What can you tell me, then? My best friend is terrified you’re going to send her fiancé to jail right before their wedding, and you won’t tell me why? That’s not very nice of you, Paul Dalton.”
He actually blushed. “I wish I could tell you,” he said. “I really do.”
“Then do it. Who’s going to tell?” I glanced dramatically around. It was just us and the empty hallway.
Paul’s frown deepened. He looked toward where Garrison and the other cop were, and then took my elbow. He led me farther down the hall, away from everyone else.
“The call was anonymous,” Paul said, keeping his voice low. “I asked for her name, but she refused. I didn’t recognize the voice. All I know for sure was the caller was female.”
“What did she say exactly?”
“She claimed to have been out that night, walking alone, when she heard a scream. She said she was frightened, but went to investigate anyway, thinking someone might need her help. She claims she saw Mason Lawyer hurry away from the Patterson house, get into his car, and drive away at high speed.”
“Did she tell you the make and model of the car?”
“No.”
“The color?”
“No.”
“So, she just said, he got into his car and sped off?” I gave him a meaningful look.
“I know,” Paul said. “The call was light on details. I even asked about it, but she claimed it was too dark to see much else.”
“But she could make out his face,” I said. This was sounding more and more like a setup. “Mason was with Vicki at the time of Cathy’s murder. She can vouch for him.”
“She is also going to be his wife. We can’t take her at her word, as much as we’d like to.”
“Are you calling Vicki a liar?” Steam was practically pouring from my ears at this point. I couldn’t believe Paul Dalton would even consider, for a second, Vicki would lie to him to protect Mason. She loved her fiancé, sure, but if it turned out he was a cold-blooded killer, she wouldn’t hesitate to turn him in.
Paul stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. He squeezed. “I believe her,” he said. “But we had to follow up on this. You understand that, don’t you?”
I sighed. “I suppose.” But I sure didn’t like it. “How long are you going to hold him?”
“I don’t think the chief is going to allow us to let him go today. She’s on her way in now. Buchannan called her since it’s a pretty big development. She’ll want a chance to talk to the suspect.”
My anger peaked and I very nearly bit his arm off. “Are you serious? Mason didn’t do it! You said you believed Vicki, and you’re calling him a suspect?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He withdrew his hand, and then looked down at them. “Mason has to go through questioning, and once we verify his alibi, I’m sure we will release him. There’s little else I can do now but promise we’ll do our best to make sure no one jumps to any unfortunate conclusions.”
That wasn’t enough. What happened if they didn’t find any other evidence? What if the real killer got away with murder? What if the tip wasn’t the only thing this woman was willing to do to frame him? She could very well be planting evidence now. If the police found, let’s say, Gina’s necklace in Mason’s underwear drawer, they’d have no choice but to arrest him. Then Mason would go down for a crime he hadn’t committed and Vicki wouldn’t get her dream wedding.
I would not let that happen.
“Take me instead.”
“What?” Paul’s brow furrowed.
“Arrest me.” I held out my wrists for him. “Put the cuffs on me right now and let Mason go.”
“Krissy, I can’t do that.”
“No, Paul. You are not going to ruin Vicki’s wedding. I won’t let you. If I have to sit in a jail cell to make sure that doesn’t happen, well then, I’ll do it.”
“Don’t you think her wedding will be ruined if you aren’t there for it?” he asked.
“Don’t get all logical on me,” I snapped. My eyes were brimming with suppressed tears. I knew I was overreacting, but at this point, I was having a hard time dealing. I mean, how could anyone, even for a second, think Mason could be guilty? And then, when you added in everything else that happened, I was seconds from a serious breakdown.
“What’s going on?” Paul asked, face pinched in concern. “There’s more to it than just this.” He gestured vaguely back toward the interrogation room.
I sucked in a breath and held it. I was this close to telling him about Will and his new job, how it had caught me off guard even though a part of me had suspected. If I told him, he would hug me, would make me feel better, at least for a few minutes.
But it would do nothing to help Mason. That was the important thing right now, not my feelings.
I blew out my breath and forced myself to focus on what was most important. Mason was currently suspect number one, thanks to an anonymous tip that named him personally. Why would anyone want to do that? As far as I knew, he’d had no interactions with any of the people who’d come with Vicki’s parents, other than that first meeting at Death by Coffee. I doubted any of them knew him much more than by name, let alone sight.
Did someone have a reason to stop the wedding? Raymond Lawyer and Regina Harper would rather he marry Regina’s daughter, Heidi, but getting Mason jailed wouldn’t accomplish that goal, so they were unlikely. And that’s ignoring the fact Mason is Raymond’s son. There was no love lost between the
two of them, but I had serious doubts Raymond would call in a bogus tip implicating his son in murder, no matter his feelings on his upcoming nuptials.
Vicki was in love with Mason and would never turn on him like that. Gina and Frederick only wanted what’s best for their daughter, even if they had a strange way of showing it sometimes. As far as I knew, they’d never once spoken ill against Mason, so I was pretty sure Gina hadn’t made the call.
So, who did that leave other than a nosy neighbor or a prankster thinking it would be funny to call in a false tip?
It had to be one of the actors. It was the only thing that made sense. Whoever had killed Cathy was afraid I was getting too close to the truth, and had decided to try to throw off the police. No one else in Pine Hills had a reason to go after Cathy, which meant no one would have a reason to implicate Mason. Whoever it was had latched on to what they viewed as the likeliest suspect for the murder, a man angry with Cathy for ruining his wedding, and run with it.
“I talked to some people,” I said, meeting Paul’s eye. “Just before you got the call.”
“What people?” he asked.
“Lyric Granderson, Jacques Kenway, and Vince Conner. They all came to Pine Hills with Cathy for the wedding.”
“And you think one of them called in the tip?”
“I’d put money on it.” Unless Sage Herron had done it. Out of everyone, she was the one who disliked Cathy the most.
But if she had, why wait until now to make the call? She could have done it the moment I’d spoken to her about Cathy’s death. No, there was one other woman who had more to gain, and I’d just recently spoken to her.
“Do you really think Lyric Granderson is responsible for this?” Paul asked, following the same line of reasoning.
“I think she very well might be.”
“Why would she?” he asked. “She has a solid alibi for the night of the murder, and it didn’t include taking a lonely walk out in the middle of nowhere. And I’m pretty sure I would have recognized her voice if it had been her.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked. “She is an actress.”
“I’ll give you that, but I still don’t believe it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if he was smitten with the pretty actress, but dismissed the thought immediately. It was none of my business if he was or not.
“What if she disguised her voice and made the call for someone else?” I wondered aloud.
“Like who?”
“Vince Conner or Jacques Kenway. Do you know them?”
“I’ve talked to them.” Paul rubbed his thumb across his lower lip in thought. “Well, we, as in the police, have talked to them. I’ve only spoken to Mr. Conner personally.”
“They’re rivals,” I said. “Well, Vince sees it that way. Jacques doesn’t see much past himself.”
“Okay, but how does that lead to Ms. Carr’s murder and our tip?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But maybe one of them was trying to get a leg up on the other somehow, and ended up killing her by accident.”
“I don’t see how,” Paul said. “From what I’ve gathered, Ms. Carr had nothing to do with either of the two men. And if one of them was looking to frame the other, why not point the finger at the rival when they had someone make the call? Why target Mason?”
“I don’t know.” I made a frustrated sound. He was making too much sense, and it was causing all my theories to crumble. “But I’m sure it all connects somehow.”
Chief Dalton’s voice rang out from down the hall, causing Paul to tense. “I’d best get back in there,” he said. “Go take care of Vicki, okay?”
“All right, I will. But don’t you dare go accusing Mason of the murder or so help me, Paul Dalton, I’ll never forgive you.”
When he smiled, it was affectionate, which was surprising, considering the threat. “I’ll do what I can.”
We stood there awkwardly, facing one another, not quite sure if we should shake hands, or hug, or just walk away. Paul made the decision and clasped me on the arm briefly before turning and hurrying back to the interrogation room, just as Chief Dalton reached it. She glanced past him and gave me a disapproving glare before they entered the room together.
I took a moment to compose myself before leaving the hallway. Vicki didn’t need to see me upset. I needed to be strong for her. I also needed to figure out who had killed Cathy Carr, and who had called in the bogus tip. And I needed to do it yesterday.
25
There wasn’t much I could do for Vicki other than wait with her and provide as much support as I could muster. I did my best to let her know that it would be all right, that Paul was on her side, but it was of little comfort. Her husband-to-be was in jail. There was no remedy for that, not unless I produced the real killer.
“Go ahead and go home,” she said after a while. “There’s no sense in you sitting here with me.” Garrison had brought over two chairs for us earlier, but had said nothing. I was thankful for the gesture, even if she’d done it grudgingly.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I can stay for as long as you need me. There’s no reason for you to be alone.”
“I’m sure. There’s nothing you can do now. But thank you for coming.”
A big part of me wanted to sit right there, regardless. I know if it was someone I loved, I’d need all the support I could get.
But she was right; I couldn’t do anything while sitting there. The real killer was out there, and I’d be of more use to Vicki and Mason if I found him or her. If I could figure out who had called in the tip, I could very well end up uncovering the murderer.
Reluctantly, I said my good-byes and left Vicki to worry alone. It was still shining brightly outside, which was a stark contrast to the gloom inside the police station. I had to shield my eyes against the rays as I got into my car and started for home. Thankfully, I’d travel most of the way there with the sun at my back, lest I end up blind. I desperately needed to invest in a good pair of sunglasses.
I was halfway home when my phone rang. Thinking it might be Vicki with news, I snatched it up and answered with a worried, “Hello?”
“You won’t believe what I’ve found out!”
“Rita?” Even though I recognized her voice, I pulled the phone from my ear to glance at the screen to be sure. She’d never called me out of the blue before.
“Who else, dear? I did as you asked and spent the last few days with my ear to the ground, listening for anything that might be useful for your investigation. The way people talk around here, you’d think nothing is private! It’s almost obscene.”
And Rita was the one who was often leading the charge on that front, but I didn’t want to point that out. “What have you heard?”
“Well, the latest, it appears, is that the police have arrested Mason Lawyer for that woman’s murder! Can you believe it? I sure can’t.” She tsked. “Someone must have made a mistake because the way I hear it, he couldn’t have done it. Georgina’s friend lives across the street from Mason and says he was in all night, and she would know. Nothing goes on in that neighborhood without her knowing!”
Creepy, but good to know. “Does she have proof that he never left?”
“She has her two good eyes, and that’s enough for me. Of course, she does need reading glasses these days. It happens to the best of us as we get older, I suppose. But she said she saw Mason in the window just before the lights went out that night. And then a short time later, they came on again and both he and Vicki Patterson sped away, looking like someone died.” She paused. “Well, I guess someone did.”
It was great to know someone could vouch for Mason’s whereabouts at the time of the murder, but I wasn’t sure how that helped me when it came to finding out who had killed Cathy or, at least, had called in the tip. I already knew Mason was innocent, and I was pretty sure the police would do their due diligence and talk to Mason’s neighbors. Knowing how Georgina was, I imagined her friend was much the same, and would be
willing to talk their ears off if they let her. And if she was anything like my neighbor, Eleanor Winthrow, used to be, then she would have seen everything, right down to what Mason and Vicki had been wearing when they’d left.
Too bad Vicki didn’t have a neighbor like that. It would have been nice if someone had been watching the house the night of the murder.
Then again, maybe someone had been. Could the tip be legit, but they’d made a mistake when they’d identified Mason? It had been dark and the tip was otherwise vague, so perhaps the caller had seen a man leaving the house that night and assumed it was Mason since he and Vicki were an item.
It made sense. Perhaps I would need to visit Vicki’s neighbors and see if one of them had indeed made the call. With all the trees, they would have had to have been at the foot of the driveway to see anything. There was enough distance from the road to the front door, I could see someone mistaking a man like Jacques Kenway for Mason.
“Have you heard anything else?” I asked, my mind turning over the possibilities. Maybe I was going at this all wrong and it really was a case of mistaken identity. If the caller had gotten a good look at the car, but had forgotten when talking to the cops, all I’d have to do was jog their memory and we’d have our man.
“The usual tidbits here and there,” Rita said. “Everyone has an opinion, and many of them are outright wrong.” She huffed. “There are some that say Mason deserves this after what happened to his brother, the poor soul. Others are pointing to how these celebrities are treating us, saying it’s justified! I can’t say they’re wrong, considering some of the things I’ve heard. Just this morning, Albie Bruce said he bumped into one of those actors and just about had his ear chewed off. I mean, Albie is well into his nineties. Who treats an old man like that?”
No one good, that’s who.
“And do you know what else I heard?” Rita went on, after only a brief pause for breath.
“What’s that?”
“There’s something happening with all those actors as we speak!” She said it like it was the most shocking news she’d ever heard. “Apparently, everyone is gathering at Vicki Patterson’s house at the request of her parents. I’m not sure what they’re going to talk about, but I bet it has to do with the wedding. How can it go on now? It’ll be canceled by morning, mark my words.”
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