Liddy Lou’s blood was boiling. She should have guessed that pompous ass Red Dixon was behind Spenser’s article. That smug bastard had some nerve calling her up and gloating. She got up and started pacing like a caged cat. Deep down she knew she should ignore the bait, call Kent Haskell, and let him deal with this. On the other hand, this might be the only shot she had to tell Red Dixon to kiss her ass before they threw that ass in prison.
Liddy Lou arrived at the diner a few minutes before 10. Red was already there. He’d taken the liberty of ordering coffee for them both, so she asked Dot to bring her a cup of tea just to be difficult.
“Hello, Liddy Lou. Thank you for coming on such short notice. Can I get you anything to eat?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you.”
“Very well. I’m a busy man and have little interest in small talk so why don’t we get right to business? Even a hack like Kent Haskell must know you have little chance of acquittal. Spenser’s article pretty much ensures that won’t happen. You’re not a young woman, and you have a family to think about, so I’d like to offer you a deal.”
Liddy Lou had heard enough. She stood up to leave.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss me, Liddy Lou. I haven’t finished yet, and I think you’ll be quite interested in hearing what I have to say.”
“I’m a God-fearing woman, Mr. Dixon, and I have no intention of making a deal with the devil, thank you very much.”
This made Red laugh. She was sure she wasn’t the first person to make the comparison, and probably wouldn’t be the last.
“I assure you if I had that kind of power we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and there’d be no trial. Now, shall we get back to our discussion?”
Red motioned to the seat she’d previously occupied, and against her better judgment, she sat back down.
“If you plead guilty and waive your right to a trial I will see to it that Judge Tanner gives you two weeks to put your affairs in order and say goodbye to your family and friends. I will also refrain from filing a civil suit against you, which I would likely win, resulting in the forfeiture of all your assets, including the Red Herring Inn, which I believe is still in your name. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how terrible it would be for your family to lose their home and their primary source of income so soon after losing you.”
Liddy Lou was stunned. She had already reconciled herself to the fact they were likely going to lose at trial, but it hadn’t occurred to her Red Dixon would file a civil suit.
“Let me make this easy for you, Liddy Lou. Why don’t you take the rest of the day to think this over, discuss it with Kent, or whomever, and get back to me by noon tomorrow?”
Red pushed back his chair and stood up, casually tossing a twenty-dollar bill on the table to cover their drinks. His arrogance was infuriating.
“Enjoy the rest of your day, Liddy Lou. We’ll talk soon.”
Dot rushed over as soon as Red was out the door.
“Are you okay, darling? Can I bring you anything? What on earth was that all about?”
Liddy Lou forced a smile and shook her head.
“No, I’m fine, Dot, but thank you for asking. We were just talking business, is all. By any chance, has Kent Haskell been in this morning?”
“Sure, sugar, he’s still here. He likes to hide in the back where he can read the paper in peace and quiet.”
Liddy Lou finished her tea and fixed her lipstick. The walk to the back of the diner felt like it took days. At her age, she’d slowed down a bit, but today it felt like the soles of her shoes were made of lead. Kent Haskell peered at her over the top of his paper before folding it and placing it on the table in front of him.
“So, I was hoping you’d make your way back here and tell me why you took it upon yourself to meet with Red Dixon without including me.”
Liddy Lou raised a hand to stop him, and he offered her a seat.
“Kent, I’m sorry. I thought, well, I don’t know what I thought, really. This whole mess is just getting to me. Red has offered me a deal, and I wanted to hear what he had to say.”
“Wait. He did what? Please tell me you didn’t agree to anything.”
“No, I didn’t. He presented his offer then gave me until noon tomorrow to make a decision.”
As Liddy Lou recounted her conversation with Red, Kent alternated between pale and scarlet.
“Be honest with me, Kent, do you think we have any chance of winning, and can he really file a civil suit?”
Kent was quiet. She could tell he was carefully weighing everything she’d said.
“Liddy Lou, we’ve known each other a long time, and you know I’ll do everything in my power to win this case, but you also know I’m brutally honest.”
“It’s okay, Kent. I’m a big girl. I can handle the truth.”
“I’ve worried from the beginning about being able to win against Red Dixon. Most of the evidence is circumstantial but there’s a lot of it. The security tape is going to kill us, especially if the prosecution introduces the fact that you lied about it. If all that wasn’t bad enough, then there’s this damn article.”
Kent slapped the folder newspaper laying on the table and rolled his eyes.
“I’ll fight with you to the gates of hell but if I’m being honest, I can’t promise you it will be enough to get a win.”
“Since we’re being honest, give it to me straight. If I don’t take Red’s offer, and we lose, can he really take the Red Herring?”
“Absolutely. Judge Tanner is run so far up Red Dixon’s ass he’ll probably give Red the shirt off your back while you’re on the way to jail. And it isn’t just if we lose. Red can still go after you in civil court even if we win.”
“What? How can that be? If I haven’t done anything, and the court finds me innocent, how can he possibly take me to court again?”
“Criminal and civil courts try the same evidence but in completely different ways. Criminal courts determine guilt and dispense punishment based on guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, whereas civil courts are far less strict and seek to compensate victims, or their families, based on the balance of probability. This is where the circumstantial evidence in this case presents a serious problem for you.”
“So what I’m hearing is that the only way I can protect my family from losing their home and their livelihood is to take Red’s deal.”
“I can’t tell you what to do, because it’s your choice, but I’d be lying if I said our chances of winning were worth the risk. They aren’t. Right now, we need a miracle. Let’s just hope whoever did this either has a crisis of conscience or the sheriff catches one hell of a break before the trial starts.”
Liddy Lou tried to speak but the words were all balled up in her throat. She’d spent every penny she had buying the Red Herring Inn at auction so she could bring her family together and give them a place to heal. Each had their own wounds. Kari and Tom had weathered a cancer scare. Beecher and Rene had been black-listed from finding work on Broadway by Rene’s ex, and Q’Bita had lost her husband to a terrible accident.
She loved them all so much, and she couldn’t bear putting them through any more than they’d already been through. This wasn’t a hard decision. They’d survive without her, but she couldn’t ask them to be without a place to call home.
“Let’s say I take this deal… how much time am I’m looking at?”
Kent’s hands were shaking, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
“Liddy Lou, are you one hundred percent sure you want to go down this road? Even if you take this deal, Judge Tanner isn’t going to go easy on you. I’m not trying to be unkind, but even a twenty-year sentence, which isn’t out of the question, means you’ll…”
His words trailed off in a mumble.
“It means I’ll most likely die before I’m even eligible for parole.”
“Yes, it’s possible.”
“I’m okay with that, Kent. I couldn’t protect my Henry from whatever it was he got himse
lf messed up in but with the good Lord’s help I’ve been able to do right by my Kari and her family. I have faith God will put me where I need to be when I need to be there, and if that’s jail, then that’s the plan he has for me.”
“I wish I had your conviction of faith, Liddy Lou, because I cannot for the life of me understand how you going to jail for a crime you didn’t commit serves a higher purpose.”
“Give it time, Kent. Faith strengthens with age, and I have quite a few years on you.”
“Well, it sounds like your mind is made up, then. I can request a meeting with Red and his people when you’re ready.”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I just want to put this behind us so my family can move on.”
Chapter 31
Q’Bita sat on the front porch of the Red Herring Inn trying to process all the thoughts racing through her mind. She’d finished calling everyone enrolled in tonight’s class to let them know it was being rescheduled and was surprised no one had asked why.
Her nana had stunned the whole family with the news that she’d taken a plea deal, and Q’Bita was relieved the gossip mill hadn’t gotten wind of it just yet.
She knew she should be inside trying to comfort her family, but her mother’s sobbing was more than she could take. The sound of an approaching vehicle drew her attention. Normally, she’d be happy to see Andy, but he wasn’t here to see her this time. This was official business. The terms of her nana’s plea deal included house arrest and electronic monitoring for the two weeks until her sentencing.
Andy pulled around to the side parking lot. The less attention they drew the better. Her father had already hung up on Spenser Penn, and it wouldn’t be long before the local news station showed up.
Q’Bita walked around the side of the Inn and found Andy getting the monitoring equipment out of his truck. He saw her and stopped.
“Hi, beautiful.”
His smile looked more pained then happy.
“Hey.”
Andy stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. She usually turned to mush in his arms but tonight, it just wasn’t the same. Andy let go after a few seconds and took a step back.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I cannot understand what possessed your nana to take a plea, but you have my word, I’ll keep working this case until I find the truth.”
“I appreciate that, Andy, but I’m not sure it will do any good now. I just don’t understand why she’d do a thing like this. She’s innocent. She says she did it for us but…”
A flood of tears took over her words as Q’Bita buried her face in her hands.
Andy stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her again.
“I know it’s hard to believe this right now, but you guys are going to get through this. I promise.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their hugging.
“Hey, Beecher,” Andy said.
“Sheriff. Sorry to interrupt but it’s getting late and Nana is tired. I think it’s best if we just get this over with so she can turn in.”
Beecher helped Andy carry the equipment into the library where the rest of the family was waiting with Kent and Jamie.
Andy adjusted the ankle monitor until it was snug but not uncomfortable and explained how it all worked. Liddy Lou would have the run of the Red Herring Inn and the front porch but no further without express permission of the court.
The ankle monitor was to stay on at all times until she appeared for sentencing, at which time it would be removed under supervision of the court.
Despite Rene’s protest in favor of something smaller and more stylish, her nana took the whole process in stride. She seemed to be at peace with her decision, though for the life of her, Q’Bita could not understand how.
One by one her family slowly trickled off to bed, and Jamie and Kent said their goodbyes, leaving Q’Bita and Andy alone in the library.
“There’s a full moon tonight. Wanna take a walk and get some air?” Andy asked.
“That sounds wonderful.”
As they walked, Q’Bita mustered up the courage to ask Andy where he was with the investigation.
“Honestly, Q’Bita, so far we haven’t found a single thing that doesn’t point at Liddy Lou. If someone is setting her up, they’re doing a damn fine job. I know that wasn’t what you wanted to hear but it’s all I’ve got.”
“Have you looked into Hadleigh Banks at all? Did you have her come in to give the description of our mystery man, Tony?
“I left her two messages today, but she hasn’t called me back.”
Q’Bita sighed and kicked at a stone as they walked.
“She seems sweet, but she does have a past record, and she’d recently fought with Macie. We only have her word they made up. I can’t put my finger on anything specific, but I got the sense she was holding back and there’s more to the story than she shared.”
“I ordered a full background check on her right before I left the station. It should be back in a day or two, and we’ll see what turns up. If there’s even a sliver of something, I will bring her in and question her again.”
Q’Bita didn’t bother sharing that she and Jamie were planning on doing their own second round of questioning with Hadleigh. She was sure Andy would object and tell her not to investigate on her own, but her nana only had two weeks of freedom left, and she wasn’t about to waste a single second letting someone else do the investigating.
***
When Hadleigh’d come for lunch the other day, she’d mentioned twice how nice it would be to cook in a kitchen like Culinary Forensics, which gave them the perfect cover for inviting Hadleigh back over the following day.
Q’Bita called her around nine and asked if she’d like to come help with some recipe testing and then stay for lunch. Hadleigh jumped at the offer and said she’d be there by ten.
Even though it wasn’t real, the recipe testing was going quite well. Hadleigh was artistic and had a great eye for detail and plating. They made a few dozen petit fours and tea sandwiches then decided to take an iced tea break on the porch before starting lunch.
Q’Bita phoned the front desk and asked Jamie to take a break and join them.
Hadleigh and Jamie were chatting about comic book villains while Q’Bita sat pretending to listen. She was waiting for a break in the conversation, so she could bring up the mysterious Tony when she heard Rene arguing with someone. The conversation was growing louder as they approached the porch from the side yard.
“I’m telling you, red is all wrong and simply won’t do. Savannah Gavin asked for classy, not a bordello of blood. She wants something that says summer in the Hamptons, not Mayan sacrifice.”
They rounded the corner and Q’Bita saw Antonio trailing behind Rene, looking annoyed. Rene spotted Q’Bita, Jamie, and Hadleigh on the porch.
“Oh, Q’Bita, there you are. Will you please tell the Latin Libido that red works just fine for the upholstery in his pimp wagon but it—”
The sound of shattering glass caused Rene to stop speaking mid-sentence.
Q’Bita turned towards the sound and saw Hadleigh had dropped her glass on the porch and was staring at Rene and Antonio like she’d seen a ghost.
Jamie jumped up and grabbed a napkin, handing it to Hadleigh. Q’Bita looked back towards Rene and noticed Antonio was walking away.
“You’re right, Rene, red won’t do. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ll go back to town right now and see what else they have.
A second later Antonio was gone, and Q’Bita turned back to Hadleigh.
“Are you okay? Did you get cut?”
Hadleigh was still staring in the direction Antonio had left.
“That… that’s him. That’s Tony. What was he doing here?”
Jamie and Q’Bita exchanged worried glances.
“Holy shit. This ain’t good, Q’B-Doll.”
“I know. Stay here with Hadleigh. I’m going to go have a chat with Antonio.”
Q’Bita rus
hed off the porch, grabbed Rene by the arm, and pulled him in the direction Antonio had left. They rounded the corner just as Antonio’s car shot out of the parking lot in a shower of crushed gravel and dust.
“Sweet Sisters of Mercy, we could have been stoned like wayward sinners just now. Stay here. I’ll grab my keys and we can run him down like The Rock in that bounty hunter movie. Lord have mercy, I love his guns,” Rene said.
“No, Rene. Let’s go talk to Hadleigh first. If Antonio is Tony, I think I’d better call Andy and let him handle this.”
Over the next ten minutes Hadleigh recounted everything she knew about Tony and assured them she was certain he and Antonio were the same person.
Rene and Jamie took her inside to get something a little stronger then iced tea to calm her nerves while Q’Bita called Andy.
Andy picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, Q’Bita, I was just thinking about you. How’s everyone doing over there?”
“Well, not so great. I need to tell you something, but you have to promise me you won’t get upset.”
There was a pause and Andy said, “Okay, go on.”
“I know you’ve been trying to get hold of Hadleigh, and I should have told you she was coming here, but I wanted to see if she’d tell me anything more about Tony.”
“And?”
Q’Bita could hear the agitation creeping into Andy’s voice and figured it was best to get to the important part quickly.
“Tony is Antonio Vartan.”
“What? Liddy Lou fostered him, and gave him a job, when no one else in town was willing to give him a chance. Why would he steal from her?”
“I have no idea, but Hadleigh saw Antonio and freaked out. It was obvious he recognized her as well. He was acting cagey and couldn’t get away from us fast enough. Rene and I went looking for him and saw him peeling out of the driveway.”
Q’Bita heard a knocking sound and Mike Collins’ voice, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“Tell her to hold a second and I’ll be right with her.”
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