Murder Most Likely (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 3)

by Karen Chester

  “Yes, actually, I did. In all the confusion last night, I forgot my tablet here. I just came to look for it.”

  Mervyn blinked a few times. “Oh, um, well the housekeeper hasn’t found it, but why don’t we go and look for it together?”

  “That would be great.” Glad to leave the fraught atmosphere, she followed Mervyn out of the living room.

  “It might be in the den,” Mervyn said, leading her down a long corridor to a different part of the house.

  Once they were in the den, Mervyn shut the door behind them. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said as she began searching for her tablet, “but I wanted to speak with you in private.”

  Emma replaced a cushion in a chair and looked up, alerted by the note in Mervyn’s voice. “You think there’s some truth in what your mom said?”

  “Well…” Mervyn picked up a games controller and nervously flicked at the buttons. “What do you think?”

  “Me? You want my opinion?”

  “Sure. I’ve always trusted you, Emma. You never made fun of me back in high school.” He fiddled with the controller, darting her anxious looks. “You acknowledged me when others pretended I didn’t exist. I’ve never forgotten that.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know quite how to respond. As far as she remembered, she’d merely treated Mervyn like her other classmates, albeit a slightly strange one. Funny to think that that had made a lasting impression on Mervyn. “Well, do you have any enemies?”

  “Yes. You don’t get to where I’m at without accumulating a few enemies.”

  “Like Archer Janick?”

  Mervyn uttered a groan. “Poor Archer. I don’t like to think of him as an enemy. We used to be such good friends. Spent hours playing computer games together.” He lifted the games controller, his expression rueful. “He was my best friend—my only friend—in high school, but yes, he hates my guts now. And he was drunk and mad last night. He could’ve hung around after Ivan threw him out. He could’ve seen Todd in my jacket, assumed it was me, and shoved him into the lake.”

  As much as she didn’t want to, Emma had to acknowledge it was a plausible scenario. Archer had been incensed and wild with fury. He’d never struck her as a violent person, but she didn’t know him very well, and the past years might have changed him dramatically. “Anyone else besides Archer?” she asked.

  Mervyn tossed aside the games controller and folded his arms across his chest. “There is someone, or rather, something more serious. ESolutions, a rival company to mine. They’re much bigger than I am. Ralph Bautista, the founder and CEO, has made several offers to buy me out. I’ve always refused. The last time, he took me aside and told me that he’d tried being nice, but now the gloves were off. I took that to mean he was now going to try underhand methods. I immediately upgraded all the security at my company, both physical and cyber, and that’s why I made my office upstairs so secure. Call me paranoid, but I believe Bautista will try anything to get at my latest software.”

  “That sounds unpleasant,” Emma said, “but surely the CEO of a successful company wouldn’t resort to murder?”

  “You’d think that, but you haven’t met Bautista. Honestly, the guy makes my skin crawl.”

  Emma shook her head in sympathy. “Oh, Mervyn. It’s too bad.”

  He shrugged. “Comes with the territory, I suppose.”

  “How dare he threaten you like that? Do you honestly think he’s capable of doing you physical harm?”

  “Not him personally. He’d hire someone to do his dirty work for him.”

  “Oh, no. Like some kind of enforcer?”

  “Maybe.”

  Speculation gleamed in Mervyn’s eyes as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He almost seemed to be enjoying this, Emma thought. Perhaps he was relieved to be able to discuss his problems with her, an impartial listener, unlike his mother or girlfriend.

  “So,” she said, “besides Archer and eSolutions, is there anyone else who might have a reason to kill you?”

  Mervyn cocked his head to one side. “Well…this is a long shot, but I was thinking of Conrad Dupree.”

  “Conrad Dupree?” She wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement. “You don’t mean the guy from high school?”

  “How many Conrad Duprees do you know? Yes, I mean him.”

  “He used to date Katrina Heston, the head cheerleader.” Emma hadn’t seen Conrad in years. He’d been the star quarterback, an arrogant jock who inexplicably attracted much admiration, both male and female. Katrina and Conrad had suited each other, in her opinion. She cast a puzzled look at Mervyn. “I heard this house used to belong to Katrina’s family. Is that true?”

  “Yes, I believe it was. I never met them, though. I saw the house for sale on the internet and bought it through a broker. I only realized it was Katrina’s former home once I moved in.”

  “That’s a weird coincidence. So Conrad must have visited here, I imagine.”

  “I guess so. He and Katrina dated all through senior year.”

  “Does Conrad still live around here?” she asked.

  “Yep. I bumped into him just the other week. He tried to give me the usual noogie like he used to in high school.” Mervyn’s face puckered up. “I dodged him, but in the process managed to spill my coffee all down my shirt. Conrad just laughed and took a picture of me with his cell phone. I saw it on Facebook later on.” Mervyn sighed.

  “Still as pleasant as ever, I see.”

  “Bullies never change. He’d pick on me every chance he got. I used to hide whenever I saw him coming. You know how he loved playing pranks on people? Well, I was his favorite target. Exploding custard pies, potatoes in my exhaust pipe, thumb tacks on my chair. Some days I’d be a nervous wreck waiting for the next prank and never knowing when he’d spring it on me.”

  “Oh, Mervyn, that’s awful.” Moved, Emma touched his shoulder. “I never knew. I mean, I was aware Conrad liked pranks, but I never knew he played so many on you.”

  “No one knew. I just hoped he’d get bored of me and go pick on someone else.” He squeezed her hand. “I never told anyone, not even my mom. Didn’t want to seem like a pathetic victim.”

  “I understand. But what makes you think Conrad had anything to do with Todd’s drowning?”

  “Don’t you see? Pushing me into the lake, it’s in the same league as giving me a noogie when I’m holding a coffee. It’s the kind of juvenile antic Conrad would do. He probably didn’t mean to drown poor Todd. Maybe he just held him down a minute too long and then left him there face down in the water, thinking he was playing possum. It’s what I used to do when he had me in a headlock or whatever. I’d stop struggling and go limp, hoping he’d get bored and let me go.”

  Pushing her hands through her hair, Emma stared at Mervyn. “You really had it bad with Conrad, didn’t you? And you think he might have come here last night just for a gag? Is he really that infantile?”

  “Like I said, I bumped into him the other day. He knew about the party. He said he’d drop by to liven things up. I told him he wasn’t welcome, and if he did I’d call the police and have him charged with trespassing. He didn’t like that. He snarled at me that I needed a lesson in manners, and that’s when he tried on the noogie.” Mervyn swallowed, and his face clouded over. “Conrad Dupree made my life a misery back in high school. Seems like some people never change.”

  “I’m sorry, Mervyn.” Whatever she said seemed inadequate.

  He gave her a brave smile. “Hey, you know what they say. Living well is the best revenge.” Then he frowned. “And I’m alive while Todd is dead. I have to know if he died because of me. I hate the idea, but I have to find out the truth.”

  “So, we have Archer, eSolutions, and Conrad as possible suspects. Is there anyone else? Anyone who might benefit from your death?”

  “Benefit from my death?” Mervyn rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, if you put it like that, I guess technically Georgia would.”

  Emma started. “Georgia? How so?”

/>   “I changed my will a few months back to include her. If I die, she’ll inherit twenty-five percent of my estate. It seems only right, seeing as she’s my girlfriend and I love her to bits.”

  “Wow, that’s very generous of you.” With Mervyn worth millions, a twenty-five percent share would be an extremely healthy inheritance.

  “Georgia’s made such a big impact on my life. I hired her as the office manager at my first startup, you know, the one that made me my fortune, but she was my biggest fortune. I fell in love with her in no time, but I was too scared to say anything to her. She’s so beautiful; has men constantly falling for her, so why would she ever look at me twice?” Mervyn’s face grew dreamy as he sank into a couch and linked his hands behind his head. “I never would’ve scraped up the courage to ask her out if it hadn’t been for Todd. He helped me lose weight and look presentable. Now, Georgia means everything to me. If I didn’t have her, well, I don’t know what I’d do.”

  Emma had never met a guy so open about his relationship like Mervyn. In her experience most men would rather hammer nails in their head than talk about their feelings for their girlfriend. But Mervyn had always been different.

  “You really love her, huh?” she said, smiling.

  “When you meet the love of your life, everything changes.” Mervyn sighed again.

  His besotted expression only reminded her of the sorry state of her own love life. Slightly discomfited, she resumed hunting for her tablet.

  “So who inherits the rest of your estate?” she asked as she bent down and peered under a couch.

  “Ma, of course.”

  So Vera was a possible suspect too? But Emma dismissed the question as quickly as it had entered her head. Of course Vera was the last person who’d want to harm her son.

  “Does she live here with you?” she asked, getting up and straightening her jeans. It didn’t seem like her tablet was in the den.

  Mervyn pulled a face. “I want her to, but so far she’s refused. As soon as I could afford it, I bought her a house in Greenville. It’s nice, much nicer than the dump we had when I was a kid, but nothing like this place. She doesn’t have to work now. She could move in here and put her feet up all day, but whenever I mention it she always says ‘maybe later.’ I think she doesn’t feel comfortable that Georgia and I aren’t married yet, so maybe she’ll change her mind eventually.”

  “You and Georgia are getting married?”

  He blushed suddenly and ducked his head. “I haven’t asked her yet. You won’t say anything, will you?”

  “Of course not.” She wondered how Vera would react to Georgia becoming her daughter-in-law. She was sure she hadn’t imagined a certain tension between the two women, especially when it came to Mervyn. “I don’t see my tablet here. I’m going to check the kitchen.”

  “Wait.” Mervyn jumped up from the couch. “I want to ask you something.”

  “Yes?” she asked as he hesitated, fidgeting with his hands.

  “Well, I was wondering if you could look into some of these suspects and help me figure out if any of them was involved in Todd’s death.”

  Emma felt her mouth sagging open. “You what? That—that’s…I want to say crazy, but I’ll settle for irresponsible.”

  “But you’ve been so helpful discussing the problem with me.”

  “There’s a big difference between discussing and actually meddling in an investigation.” She drew in a deep breath. “If you have any concerns—and clearly you do— you should go to the police. Call up that Detective Gambino and tell her exactly what you’ve told me.”

  “I can’t do that.” Mervyn’s face grew glum. “They’ll either think I’m nuts, or they’ll go tromping about in their heavy-handed way. And don’t forget they’re still thinking about charging me over that stupid BB gun thing. I don’t have much goodwill with them right now. Besides, I don’t want to go upsetting Todd’s parents right now. They’ve just lost a son. They don’t need to know they might have lost him because of me. How awful would that be?”

  Emma sighed. “You have a point, but that still doesn’t mean I should go running around questioning possible suspects. I’m an event planner, not an investigator.”

  “Yes, but I’ve heard you played a part in exposing two murderers,” Mervyn said eagerly. “You’re a pro at this.”

  “Oh, no.” She groaned aloud. “Don’t tell me you’ve been listening to small town gossip?”

  “I heard it from Faye Seymour herself.”

  Faye! Of course, who else? After the most recent fracas, Emma had specifically asked Faye not to talk about it, but she may as well have asked the old woman not to breathe. “Faye exaggerates.”

  “In my experience, there’s always a grain of truth in her stories, however improbable they may sound.” Mervyn hurried forward and seized Emma’s hand. “Please, Emma. I need your help, and I won’t put you in any danger, I promise.”

  She tried to steel herself against his pleading eyes but sensed it was hopeless. “I know I’m going to regret this,” she muttered, “but what exactly did you have in mind?”

  His face brightened. “I thought you could make some enquiries about Archer and Conrad. Find out whatever you can, especially their whereabouts last night at around midnight. I can’t do it because they both hate my guts for different reasons, but you’re different. You could talk to them, pretend it’s something to do with this high school anniversary thing.”

  “Actually, I am involved in the anniversary,” she said. “I’m organizing the anniversary dinner on Saturday.”

  “A perfect cover! And while you’re doing that, I’ll investigate Ralph Bautista and eSolutions.”

  “I guess I could do that,” she said doubtfully before she remembered something else. “What about Ivan? I know you don’t want to suspect him, but I did hear him arguing with Todd last night, and he sounded very aggressive.”

  Mervyn waved a hand. “Leave Ivan to me. You just concentrate on Archer and Conrad.”

  Mention of the anniversary dinner made Emma remember the brunch earlier that day and Janet’s request.

  “By the way, some people are worried that you might not turn up at the dinner—you know, given the circumstances.”

  “Oh.” Mervyn pondered a moment before replying, “No, I’ll be there. I’m the guest of honor, and I have a check for the school. I can’t let people down.”

  “Good. I’ll let everyone know.”

  “It’s the least I can do, seeing as you’re helping me.”

  His words were generous, but she couldn’t suppress a little guilt. His revelations of what he’d suffered at Conrad’s hands hadn’t come as a huge surprise. She knew—everyone knew—that Conrad was a bully, and even though she’d been wrapped up in her social life, her studies, and her boyfriend, at some level she must have been aware that Mervyn was Conrad’s favorite target. Yet she’d done nothing about it. Sure, she’d been nice to Mervyn, but she could’ve done more than that.

  So this was her chance to make amends. She’d talk to Archer and Conrad, find out more about them, and hopefully help Mervyn and, by extension, poor Todd.

  “Can we go check the kitchen now?” she asked. “I really need to track down my tablet.”

  As soon as they entered the kitchen, she spotted her tablet sitting on the bench. “Oh, good!” She slipped it into her tote bag straight away. “That’s a relief. I can’t afford a new one.”

  “Hey, I would’ve bought you a new one. A better one.”

  “Oh, no. I wouldn’t have let you do that.”

  “Thanks for everything.” Mervyn reached out and gave her an impulsive hug. “You’re the best, Emma.

  With his arm still slung casually around her shoulders, they walked out of the kitchen. At that moment, Georgia appeared at the other end of the corridor. When she spotted them, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

  “Oops.” Mervyn clumsily disentangled himself from Emma. “Hee-hee, don’t want my be
autiful girlfriend to get the wrong idea. She can be quite possessive sometimes.” He waved at Georgia. “Hey, there, sweetie-pie.”

  Georgia tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder and stalked away, her shapely figure stiff with disapproval.

  Emma heaved a silent sigh. She definitely didn’t need to make an enemy out of Mervyn’s girlfriend.

  Chapter Six

  The original building of South Lake High School, opened in 1941, was a handsome, two-story, red brick structure built in the Gothic revival style. Since then, several additions in varying architectural styles had been added as the student population grew. On Monday morning at ten am, Emma automatically headed for the student parking area before she remembered herself and steered toward the visitors’ section. As she stepped out of her car, a wave of nostalgia hit her. The crisp fall air, trees turning yellow and russet, girls in sweaters hugging their text books, boys in varsity jackets eyeing the girls—it felt like she’d traveled back in time.

  The main administration block greeted her with the familiar smell of paper and books, together with an underlying hint of teenage pheromones. She stopped at the front desk to pick up a visitor’s pass. Janet Ramos had given her details to the receptionist, who directed Emma to a room on the second floor where the decoration workshop had been established. She took the main staircase, and walked down a deserted corridor. Unsure of her destination, she popped her head in at the nearest open door.

  The room was filled with personal computers. A man crouched beside one, fiddling with the cables.

  “Hi, excuse me,” Emma began. The man jerked his head up and pushed messy black hair away from his forehead. “Oh, hello, Archer. It’s me, Emma,” she added as he continued to look blank-faced at her. “Emma Cassidy. We went to high school here.”

  “Right.” His thick black eyebrows drew down, giving him a sullen air. “What do you want?”

  It was clear Archer Janick wanted nothing to do with her, and ordinarily, she would have taken the hint and quietly withdrawn. But the promise she’d made to Mervyn was still uppermost in her mind, and she couldn’t let this opportunity slip through her fingers.