by Gilian Baker
“You could have just gone to the younger Mr. Gallagher and discussed the issue with him. Since you’d been working here for the past seven years, I’d think you shouldn’t have had too much to worry about.”
“I thought about it a few times, but always backed down.” She looked me in the face again. “But let me be clear, Ms. Blackwell. I have learned my lesson and never plan on being on the other side of the law again. I wouldn’t have chanced my true freedom by killing her. Being forced to live in thrift was better than living in prison. It wouldn’t have been worth it.”
“Thank you for your bluntness, Ms. Billingham. Can you tell me where you were the evening of her death… about 6:00 p.m.?”
“I went straight to a little bar-restaurant where I met several friends. We enjoy going there once a week to get together and catch up.”
“What about the day of her death? Were you at work that day and did you leave the building at any time?”
“Yes, I was here. I remember her smirking at me in the hallway that day, and I haven’t taken a day off yet this year. The only time I leave the building during work hours is to go outside to smoke. I always pack my dinner and eat at my desk.”
“Thanks.” I made a note of that. “Can you give me your friends’ names and numbers? I’d also like the name of the bar, so we can confirm it with them, if possible.”
She wrote them down without another word. When she was done, she looked up at me. “May I go now? I have work to do.”
“Yes. And thank you again.”
***
On the way home I called Gabby to tell her what I’d learned. I was preparing to leave a message, when in the middle of the fourth ring she picked up, panting. I pulled my phone away from my ear. “What’s going on? Why are you breathing like that?”
“I’m jogging.” Puff, puff, puff.
“Who answers their phone when they are jogging?”
“Busy professionals who sneak in a jog during work hours.” Puff, puff. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“So, I finished the interviews. Sophie’s story seems likely. She was forthcoming and direct. Mr. Taylor, on the other hand, was not a happy camper and won’t give us anything unless we pull it out of him.”
“Okay. Guess we figured that. Whew, whew, whew.”
“Are you sure you are all right? You sound like you’re working too hard.”
“I’m fine, mom. I do this every day. Now, what happened with Dr. Lynch?”
I gave her the rundown on him. She wasn’t pleased that he hadn’t told us about the blackmail either.
“So what’s next?” All her breathing in the phone was giving me a headache.
“Come by the office in the morning and we’ll talk it over then.”
I was almost half way home when my phone rang. I answered it expecting to hear Gabby’s voice. “Jade? This is Phyllis. Phyllis Buckley? Could you come over, please? I need to talk to you right away.”
Sighing, I made an illegal U-turn and headed back to Chesterton.
Chapter Seventeen
I wanted to go home, but how could I? I had to find out what was going on with Phyllis anyway, so I might as well do it now. I may have groaned out loud when I thought of the literal stack of work that was awaiting me on my desk. Plus, I’d left so early this morning, I’d neglected to get anything in the slow cooker for supper. I was sick of takeout pizza, and I missed my husband. Christian didn’t even know about the latest developments in the case. What we needed was an evening together enjoying a home-cooked meal, even if I had to cook it. Sigh… I reminded myself once again that this wouldn’t go on forever. It seemed like we were close to bringing suspects to Ross’ attention. Fingers crossed that would be enough to get Liz back home.
Phyllis must have been waiting right behind the door, because as soon as I knocked, she flung it open in her usual way and invited me in. She already had tea laid out for us. That made me smile, even though I didn’t know if what she had to tell me would keep it there.
“I’m so sorry to trouble you again, Jade. I know you’ve got other things to be doing. But I couldn’t stand it anymore. I need to get something off my chest.”
“It’s fine, Phyllis. I told you I wasn’t far, anyway.” I patted her hands that folded quivering in her lap.
“It’s about the other day.” She took a deep breath. “You may’ve noticed I was a little nervous.” That was an understatement. “Well, you see, I knew about Connie’s blackmail scheme…’cause she was blackmailing me.”
I played dumb to give her the chance to tell the story in her own way.
“I didn’t mean to lie, but I’ve kept this secret for so long, and it’s worth every penny I got to keep it from getting out to my family.” She shoved her hands into her cardigan pockets and sniffed. I felt too sorry for her to let her stay in agony, trying to make herself say the words.
“That you were a burlesque dancer many years ago?”
She gasped and raised her hand to her chest. “H… how did you know?”
“You were acting so peculiar the other day that Gabby and Crystal were determined to keep you on the suspect list. Gabby had all the suspects’ information pulled and your secret came out to us then.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. “Well, I’m sorry for disappointing you. I’ll understand if you want to leave now.”
I scooted closer to her on the couch and took her hands in mine. “Don’t be ridiculous. What you did is none of my business. I’m not judging you. Why were you willing to pay her? Didn’t you think your kids and grandkids would understand and forgive you? They love you.”
“If they find out after I’m gone, so be it. But I don’t think I could face ‘em if they knew. It was despicable then, and it’s despicable now. My Ernie understood, ‘course, and we made a vow never to tell nobody about it, including the kids. He had as much to lose as me if word got out. Imagine his shame if people’d found out I wasn’t the respectable married woman I pretended to be?”
“I think you’re worrying for nothing, Phyllis. It’s not as big of a deal now. And think about the differences between what you did back then and what’s out there now. Heck, they show more on prime time TV nowadays than they did on the stage back then.”
“I know. But it’s still shameful. I didn’t want to do it. You’ve got to believe me. But I had to make money for my family to survive. I was young and pretty and had a nice figure, so I applied for the job. It was the best money I could make; enough for my family to survive. But I knew all along that it could ruin my chances of having a normal life.” Her face lit up. “But then I met my Ernie. He was one of a kind.”
I let her enjoy her private memories for a while. “How did it all start, Phyllis? The blackmail?”
“Oh, well, my granddaughter Mattie got me a computer and taught me how to email and Facebook, so we could talk every day. Somehow one of my old pals from those days, also a dancer, friended me on Facebook. I couldn’t believe it after all these years. Now this was after Ernie was gone, ya see, and I was so lonely. We became Facebook friends and chatted regular. Connie hacked into my email and Facebook account and discovered our shared shame. And she took no time in using it to her advantage, either. She marched right over here and told me how things were gonna be.”
“Let me guess. The new big TV came from the money you would’ve given Connie.”
She set her chin in rebelliousness, though it still quivered. “Yeah, and I’m glad I got it.”
“I am, too. You deserve it. And it beats the lame story you told before.” I grinned at her.
“Oh, I’ve gotta apologize, dear. I was so nervous ‘round your friends. Imagine a lawyer and a cop in my living room asking me questions about blackmail.” She put her hand to her chest. “I didn’t think I’d make it.”
“I know you were home alone that night, but did you see anyone about the time of Connie’s death? Maybe when you got your mail or something?”
“Who said I was alon
e?”
“Well… you never talked about anyone else being here, so I assumed you were alone.”
“Oh, no. Mattie was here. Comes over at least once a week.” She cackled. “For some reason she gets a kick outta me.” She looked at me with slit eyes. “I say I love all of my grandchildren the same, but she’s always been my favorite, you know.” Then she laughed again.
While she was laughing it up, I sat dumbfounded on the ‘davenport,’ tea cup halfway up to my mouth. “Why didn’t you say so?” I chided.
She stopped laughing and wrinkled her brow. “Oh, I thought I did, dear.”
“No you did not. If you had we would’ve already talked with Mattie and you might not have had to go through the torture of that interview with my lawyer and cop friends.”
She sat blinking at me for a moment, looking all of her eighty-odd years. “Oh… well, maybe I left her out of the story, ‘cause I didn’t want her involved. I don’t recall.” She looked out into space and raised her hand to her chin. “I thought for sure I’d told ya that.” She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. “Well, anyway, Mattie was with me. Came over right after her last class that day, she’s at U of Wy, you know, and then ended up staying the night in the spare room, ‘cause she didn’t want to leave me alone after what’d happened next door. Are you sure I didn’t tell you that, dear?”
“Yes, I’m sure, Phyllis.” I suppressed the urge to rolling my eyes. Oh, well, at least we knew now. Mattie wasn’t the best alibi in the world. She loved her grandmother and would do anything to protect her. What’s more, Phyllis could’ve entered Connie’s house at any time that day to add the hemlock to Connie’s chopped herbs. Sigh… I didn’t know if any of this helped at all. We still only had Phyllis’ word she didn’t do it.
After getting Mattie’s contact information, I explained I’d need to describe the situation to both Gabby and Crystal, but that her secret was safe with us. I also asked her to reconsider telling her family about her past.
“I’ll think about it, dear.” I knew she wouldn’t, but she was in a better frame of mind when I left her, which was something.
Driving home yet again from Chesterton, I thought about everything I’d learned that day. After reviewing the facts, my bet was on Jack Taylor. He had a lot to lose, and he was in so far over his head he might’ve been willing to do anything to stop the payments and regain control over his finances.
Besides that, he was evasive. Students who were full of excuses and evasive were always the ones to keep an eye on. If you gave them an inch, they’d take it and then a little more each time. Then there was the note Jack must have left on my windshield. The last straw was his shifty eyes. I never trust a man with shifty eyes.
It could be Sophie, too. Her coolness could’ve been a façade to hide her guilt. But my instincts told me she was telling the truth—that she’d learned her lesson about going against the law. She’d kept out of trouble ever since, and her arrest was long in the past.
I believed Phyllis, too, although I tried to stay skeptical—I didn’t want to be too trusting of her yet again and come away looking foolish. The fact she’d called and told me everything we’d already found out was in her favor for sure. We needed to check everyone’s alibi, but of the three, I’d put my money on Jack Taylor.
How were we ever going to decide for sure who’d done it? The person hadn’t needed to be there when she died, so they could’ve snuck over anytime that day to leave the poisonous plant mixed with her other greens for her supper.
All of that was just adding to the headache that had started earlier with my phone call to Gabby. What I needed was a night off from the investigation. I was dog-tired from all emotional ups and downs, not to mention trying to get work done in between interviews and strategy meetings. My routine was off, and so was I. I felt out of sorts and needed to take a mental break tonight and then come out fighting in the morning.
***
I made omelets for supper, and Christian and I spent a quiet night in. When he mentioned the case, I told him I needed to take a vacation from it tonight. I could see he was dying to know the updates, but I wouldn’t give in. I took a long, hot bath in the Jacuzzi tub and went to bed early, leaving Christian to clean up the kitchen.
I slept through my alarm the next morning. Christian was gone by the time I got up, and the cats had even given up on getting breakfast. They must have decided I was dead.
I had re-interviewing Dr. Lynch, in a dream, as if I wanted to relive that. I remembered little of it, but it seemed to happen in slow motion, like we were under water. When I woke I’d been trying to pull him out of his office chair, struggling to pull him hard enough by both arms to get him on his feet.
But the world looked brighter with a good night’s sleep. I was determined to make real progress in the case today, sick of two steps forward, three steps back. After making more coffee and grabbing a cup of yogurt, I marched up the stairs to my office to do some obligatory work before heading out once again to talk with Gabby. In between bites, I connected with Geena and gave her a list of updated tasks and a short list of client requests I was okay taking on. Next, I checked email and responded to a few clients.
Feeling dissatisfied with my yogurt, I texted Gabby and asked if we could meet at Tea & Sympathy instead of her office. I’d get extra sustenance there. She pinged right back and agreed. That cheered me up. The last thing I needed to do was to check the blog comments and social media to see if I should respond to anything. I spammed a few comments on the blog, made quick replies to others and decided that was good enough.
I had all my notes spread out in front of me and was enjoying a nice, hot bowl of oatmeal when Gabby arrived at the tea shop. We got right to it since we had a lot to get through. I laid everything I’d learned out for her and handed her the three sheets of paper with the alibi details—one for each suspect.
“I’ll give these to Lucy, and she can follow up with them. If we’re lucky, we’ll have those done in a day or so. That should give us a clear picture of the situation. With any luck, we won’t need to look further—these will be enough to at least put someone else besides Liz in the frame. Then our job will be done.” She frowned and blew out a heavy sigh.
The look on her face said she wasn’t ready for it to be finished. It was surprising, considering how much she fought me to stay out of it. I was sure it gave her mind something challenging to chew on, which would be a nice change of pace from the usual stuff she no doubt dealt with here in little ole Aspen Falls.
While I had to admit that it had been nice to get out of the rut of online entrepreneurship, I was more than ready to get back to my routine. I was one of those homebodies who looked forward to escaping on vacation, but ached to be home again in four days flat.
Millie had just brought over two huge cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven when the bells above the front door chimed.
“Deputy Metcalf, your order will be ready in just a minute.” Without further fanfare, Millie dropped the plates of cinnamon buns on our table and hustled off to the kitchen.
Crystal smiled when she saw us. “Hey, guys. Can I have a seat while I’m waiting?”
“Sure, come on over. Grab that chair.”
She sat down, and we exchanged pleasantries.
“I’m picking up coffee and pastries for everyone at the station to celebrate—I’ve been offered a permanent position here in Aspen Falls, and I’ve accepted!”
We congratulated her and chit-chatted more before she asked the inevitable. “So how’s the case coming along?”
We filled her in. When I got to the part about re-interviewing Dr. Lynch the day before and his previous knowledge about the blackmail, she too was irritated.
“Yeah,” I went on, warming up to the subject of his arrogance. “Before I left, he even took a parting shot and said he thought my friendship with Liz might be clouding my judgement. Can you believe that?”
They couldn’t. Gabby chimed in, “I think if we need to visit
him again, I’ll go. You can’t be trusted around him.” She chuckled.
“Be my guest!”
Millie brought over Crystal’s order in white paper bags and a cardboard drink holder. “Well, see you two later. I need to get back while this is all hot and fresh.”
Crystal had grown on me. Those with her cheerleader looks and attitude tend to turn me off—I’ve been around way too many of the type in the classroom. But she had brains and integrity besides, and I was happy to hear she would be keeping the peace in our part of the world. We could do a lot worse. Doug, God love him, came to mind.
I told Gabby I was off to watch ITV footage of the front of the law offices of Gallagher and Gallagher.
She crossed her eyes. “Better you than me. Have fun.”
We walked outside together, ready to get back to our day, after paying our bills and thanking Millie for the gratis cinnamon buns.
Gabby stopped short. “You know, something you said has been nagging at me.”
I opened my car door and stuck my to-go coffee and unfinished bun in the car. “Yeah, what’s that?”
“How did Dr. Lynch know Liz is a friend of yours?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we told him the first time we were there.” I shrugged.
“No, I would never tell someone I was interviewing that I was representing a friend. It sends the wrong message about my motivation.” She smiled and shrugged. “Oh, well. Guess this case has just gotten the ole brain working overtime.”
***
Driving to Chesterton, I enjoyed the last of my cinnamon bun, licking every bit of frosting from my fingers. But Gabby’s question had stuck in my craw. How did he know we were friends? I replayed the two times we’d spoken and couldn’t remember ever mentioning anything that would give that information away. By the time I got to the law offices, I’d decided while I was in town I’d satisfy my curiosity and ask him about it. Huh. Curiosity is what had gotten me mixed up in all this mess to begin with.