by Mary Ellis
‘My name is Ross Lacey.’ A muscle tightened in his neck as he pushed up his sleeve to check his watch. ‘And I’m late for an appointment. I hope you’re telling me the truth, Jill Curtis, because things don’t go well for people who lie to me.’ He threw the SUV into gear and backed down the ramp into traffic, triggering a barrage of horn blasts on the street.
As Jill walked into the hotel, she realized two things: Ross Lacey had just threatened her. And two, she had never mentioned her name. Jill wasn’t sure which bothered her more. On the way to her room she also realized it was time to tell her partner exactly why she spent so much time with Alexis Scott.
‘I knew it,’ Michael shouted, jumping to his feet. ‘You’re starting to think every death is suspicious and murderers lurk behind each tree and hedgerow.’
Jill sucked in a breath to muster patience. ‘No, not every tree. Some trees are too skinny. And I’m not the only one who finds Mr Scott’s passing suspicious. Detective Grimes of the Louisville homicide department thinks so too.’
‘You probably talked her into the notion,’ Michael muttered, shaking his finger at her.
‘No way. That cop doesn’t even like me. It was the M.E.’s report that made Detective Grimes a believer. Mr Scott died due to an ingested toxin.’
Michael’s brows knit together. ‘What kind of toxin?’
‘Results from the tox screen revealed a rare poison, which mimics a myocardial infraction, had killed him.’
‘Aren’t you pleased as a pig in a corn crib?’ He guzzled half a can of Coke.
Although the analogy sounded strange coming from a city boy, Jill let it pass. ‘I’m certainly not pleased that Mr Scott was murdered, but since Alexis asked for my help, I couldn’t say no. Look how many doors she opened for us.’
Michael scrubbed his face with his palms. ‘You’re not a cop. You graduated with an English degree and a minor in journalism.’
‘I know that, and I’m nowhere near as involved with this investigation as I was in Roseville. The homicide department has the situation under control.’
‘Does Nick know what you’re up to?’
‘He does.’ Michael’s expression remained skeptical, so Jill continued, ‘You can ask him tonight. He’s having dinner with us and it’s your turn to pick the restaurant.’
‘Don’t think I won’t,’ Michael snapped, already Googling restaurants in the area. ‘I can’t believe Nick would let you stick your nose in another murder.’
‘Nobody lets me do anything, buster. I march to my own drummer.’
He smirked. ‘We’ll see how much marching you do with Nick around.’
Jill stuck out her tongue on the way to her bedroom. She only had an hour before Nick picked them up, so she put it to good use.
Alexis picked up on the first ring. ‘Hi, Jill, did everything go OK during the tour? I apologize for your earlier run-in with our security guard. Was Michael able to get the video he needed?’
‘Yeah, everything went fine. Michael sends his gratitude and said your distillery runs like a well-oiled top.’
‘Thanks, I’ve hired some good people. They make my job easy.’
‘I doubt that. They just make your job look easy.’ Jill let a few silent moments pass. ‘I didn’t call about the tour. I wanted to ask you about someone.’
‘My mother, the annihilator?’ Alexis asked, laughing. ‘She told me you were sneaking through the bushes, spying in windows. Then you barged in when she was resting in the solarium. Those are her words, not mine. How on earth did you get on Mom’s bad side?’
‘I don’t know, but I wasn’t exactly sneaking around. The maid told me where she was and I figured out where the solarium might be. I did knock before I entered.’
‘I know you did, but why is she so mad?’
‘I have no idea, but your mother isn’t who I wanted to ask you about.’
There was a momentary hesitation. ‘Then who?’
‘Ross Lacey.’
‘How on earth did you meet him?’
‘He was parked at the end of your driveway when I left your mother. I’d noticed the same SUV in the distillery lot after the tour. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but a car followed me back to the Thurman House Hotel. That’s when I confronted the driver.’
‘Oh, no, you didn’t,’ Alexis moaned.
‘Why? Is this Lacey guy dangerous?’ Jill glanced over her shoulder to make sure she’d shut the bedroom door.
‘I hope not. I really don’t know. What did Lacey say? Why was he following you?’
‘He said he was worried a sleazy tabloid reporter was bothering the Scott family during their time of grief. He wanted to scare me away. Amusing, no?’
Apparently not amusing, because Alexis didn’t laugh. ‘Stay away from Ross. Who knows what he’s capable of? I thought he was out of my life forever until I saw him at Dad’s memorial service.’
‘If you were close friends, he probably just wanted to pay his respects,’ Jill suggested.
‘Ross hated my father, and the feeling was mutual. He accused my dad of trying to break us up.’
‘You two were in a relationship?’
‘Only in Ross’s mind. He and I dated a few times and then he started getting possessive. He wanted to know where I went after work and didn’t like me meeting my friends. He even criticized some of my outfits that according to him were too suggestive for the office. After three or four dates the guy thought he owned me.’ Alexis clucked her tongue.
‘A control freak,’ Jill concluded.
‘Definitely. Lacey left a sympathy card with the funeral director which I read the next day. Inside was a hundred-dollar bill toward the charity of my choice, along with the message: I will always love you, Ross. We never uttered those kinds of words to each other. We never got close to that.’
‘How did you meet him?’
‘Parker Estate held a charity fundraiser for the Red Cross and sold tickets at one hundred dollars each. We donated the beverages while local restaurants donated the food. It was a huge success. Ross approached me that night and struck up a conversation. We seemed to get along well. So when he asked me out, I said “yes”.’
‘One hundred bucks a ticket … what does Lacey do for a living? I noticed he drives an expensive car.’
‘He told me he was a day-trader in stocks and bonds. But much of what he said turned out to be lies.’
‘Such as?’ Jill asked, unsure where this was going.
‘He said his mom was an opera singer and that his dad wrote stage plays. But I found no evidence of their association with the arts. They live on a small farm near Bowling Green.’
‘Did Lacey ever get physical or violent with you? He came off as a bit threatening to me.’
‘Oh, Jill, I’m sorry you got dragged into this,’ Alexis murmured. ‘Ross never got physical with me, but he did have a nasty run-in with my dad.’
A frisson of fear ran up Jill’s spine. ‘Mind telling me what happened?’
‘After I broke it off with him, Ross began parking outside the distillery so he’d see me when I left the office. I ignored him for the first week and drove past his car. When he was still there on the Monday, I made the mistake of mentioning it to my family.’ Alexis released a loud sigh. ‘The next day Dad and a few security guards were waiting for Ross when he took up his vigil across the street. Dad told Lacey he would file a restraining order if he didn’t go away. Ross became irate and started cursing my father. So Dad got mad and said he’d pegged Lacey for a lowlife right from the start and said he would never be good enough for me.’
Jill shuddered. ‘What happened next?’
‘Ross tried to exit the car, but the guards held the door shut. Ross screamed foul words that Dad wouldn’t repeat. Dad said if he ignored the restraining order, his security team would “take care of him”. I know that sounds horrible, but it was just an empty threat. My father would never hurt a fly.’
‘I believe you, but I’m worried La
cey might not be the type to take threats lightly.’
‘You don’t think …’ Alexis let the rest of the sentence hang in the air.
‘Who knows? Someone killed your father and we shouldn’t rule out anyone, especially since Lacey has difficulty discerning reality. In my opinion, saying “I will always love you” is a tad creepy after you made the situation very clear to him.’
‘I swear I did. I tried to let him down easy, but he started crying. Ross claimed he moved to Louisville to be close to me. I said that was a mistake and we had no future together. Then I hung up.’
‘Did you follow through with the restraining order?’
‘Yes, and apparently it did the trick. Or at least my father’s intimidation worked. Ross didn’t show up the next Monday and hasn’t been back since. I never saw him again until the memorial service, but I must admit I haven’t been looking that hard. At least in the church he stayed far away from me.’
‘I think we need to tell Detective Grimes about this nutcase.’
‘OK, if you think we should. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Ross when you asked about enemies. I wasn’t thinking in terms of my potential enemies. I was embarrassed how things turned out with Lacey. I should have broken it off sooner.’
‘Hey, don’t beat yourself up. Nobody is handed a playbook or roadmap when they start dating. We all make mistakes. Let’s just make sure Lacey isn’t guilty of something much worse than being gum stuck to your shoe.’
‘Should I call Detective Grimes?’
Jill reconsidered this. ‘So far he hasn’t violated the restraining order. Right now following me around Louisville isn’t against the law. Tonight I’m having dinner with Nick. If it’s OK with you, I’d like to run this by him.’
‘Of course it is. I trust both of you with my life.’
‘Hopefully it won’t come down to that.’ Jill forced a chuckle. ‘Since it might be late when I get back to my room, I’ll call you in the morning. Lock your door tonight, Alexis. This might be a good time to adopt a big dog from the animal shelter, one you can train to keep the creeps at bay.’
Jill hung up just as a text buzzed from Nick. Come downstairs where I have a surprise waiting. Bring your partner, but no surprise for him.
She only needed five minutes to change her clothes and brush her teeth. Then she and Michael fought their way through a crowded lobby to the entrance. Nick was parked in the exact spot Ross Lacey had occupied earlier. Her surprise turned out to be the largest bouquet of red roses she’d ever seen. And for no reason at all.
Jill decided to wait with her update about Lacey until after their delicious entrées in the Italian restaurant. Leave it to Michael to choose pasta, rich sauces, and bread dipped in olive oil. During dinner Jill and Nick told Michael about yesterday’s trip to Roseville. Since twenty-four hours had passed, they were able to imbue the story with more humor than they’d felt at the time.
‘Are you telling me Sheriff Adkins arrested your grandmother and Mrs Clark?’ Michael’s eyes bugged from his face. ‘But I thought Adkins and his wife were lifelong friends of Dot and Roger Clark.’
‘They were, but a sheriff must uphold the law no matter how fond he is of the criminal.’ Nick delivered this maxim with a perfectly straight face.
‘Criminal?’ Michael scoffed. ‘The last time I saw Granny Vanderpool she was eating lime Jello in a nursing home while Wheel of Fortune blared on the TV.’
Jill swallowed her last bite of lasagna. ‘Now she’s helped her cousin turn Sweet Dreams into a hot spot, where people who love good bourbon love to hang out.’ She laughed at the memory.
‘I hope they plan to walk the straight-and-narrow from now on.’ Nick pushed away his plate and folded his napkin. ‘How did the tour go? Did either of you learn anything interesting?’ His gaze rotated from one to the other.
Michael took a swallow of red wine. ‘I learned that Jill has been investigating a murder, just like in Roseville, instead of finishing our travel feature in a timely fashion.’
‘This is nothing like Roseville,’ she said, frowning at Michael. ‘I’m merely poking around for leads for Detective Grimes to follow. After all, their current suspect was ruled out by toxicology.’ Jill turned to Michael. ‘A recently fired employee had been found with dozens of poisons in his home, but Nick learned last night that none were a match for what killed William Scott. So the police have to let him go.’
‘Jill dragged you into this, too?’ Michael asked Nick. ‘I thought you were on vacation.’
Nick refilled his wineglass from the bottle. ‘I am on vacation, but since Alexis is an old friend and Jill is a new friend, I’m serving as an advisor.’
‘Why am I not surprised?’ Michael’s gaze shifted from one to the other. ‘Life just spins in circles in the Keystone state.’
Jill suddenly felt the need to stick up for Kentucky. ‘Oh, like only normal people live in Chicago?’
Her comment triggered plenty of laughs at the table.
‘Before this conversation deteriorates into fisticuffs, did you discover anything new, Miss Curtis?’ Nick asked.
‘I did.’ Jill leaned back as the waiter delivered dessert. ‘After our tour of Parker Distillery, I poked around inside their main office and in the employee lounge. I learned some interesting details about the master distiller.’ Jill waited for a reaction, but both men remained focused on their tiramisu. ‘Mr Scott had an eye for the girls, as my mama used to say, and was definitely friendlier with the female employees than the males.’
‘In this day and age?’ Michael peered up from his dessert. ‘I’m shocked. That behavior is so twentieth century.’
‘Be that as it may, I went to the Parker Estate to discuss this with Mrs Scott.’
Nick dropped his fork on his plate. ‘Without proof that these rumors and innuendos are true? Not only can you be sued, but you will certainly lose Alexis’s trust.’
Jill hadn’t expected that particular response from Nick. ‘I didn’t accuse Mr Scott of anything. I merely dropped a few innuendos of my own and Rose laughed in my face. She described their marriage as open and said she enjoyed the same privileges as her husband.’
‘I don’t understand why you’re meddling in their personal business.’ Ice crystals could have formed on Nick’s words. ‘I know you wouldn’t smear William Scott in your article, so why are you stirring up trouble?’
Jill blinked. ‘I wanted to learn if Rose had a motive for murder – her husband’s bad behavior. If I found out my husband had been unfaithful, I might be tempted to kill him. But if Alexis doesn’t know the truth about their marriage, she won’t find out from me.’
Nick studied her from across the table. ‘Now that you’ve interviewed Rose, do you consider her a suspect?’
Goosebumps rose on Jill’s neck. ‘I haven’t ruled her out, but I bumped into a more viable suspect as I was leaving the estate.’
That caught everyone’s attention. Jill had no choice but to launch into a full report of the drama with Ross Lacey. When she was done, she didn’t know which man was madder.
‘Good grief, Jill,’ Michael moaned. ‘Leave murder investigation to the pros and stick to the tourists!’
‘Are you saying this Lacey threatened you?’ Nick’s complexion darkened to the color of port wine.
‘In a manner of speaking, yes. He wants me to stop bothering Alexis and her family. Lacey said they are close friends, but according to Alexis, that’s not true.’ Jill then relayed the details of her before-dinner conversation.
‘Do something, Nick,’ Michael demanded, scowling at Jill. ‘Before this lunatic gets herself killed.’ He shook his finger at her.
‘Does Alexis still have a restraining order against Lacey?’ Nick asked, ignoring Michael.
‘Yes, but so far he’s never violated it. Even at Mr Scott’s memorial service, he kept far enough away from her.’
‘If Lacey really is a sociopath, he might have reason to kill William Scott. But right now, he hasn�
��t broken any laws. The threat against you will boil down to his word against yours.’ Nick rubbed his chin, a sure sign an idea was in the works. ‘If you and Alexis are willing, you could draw Lacey into the space restriction of the TRO.’
‘But isn’t that entrapment?’ asked Michael, jumping into the discussion.
‘No, it’s not, because Jill and Alexis aren’t law enforcement.’ Nick answered without taking his eyes off Jill. ‘There is risk involved, but I’m afraid if we don’t try something, you’ll do something even riskier.’
‘I’m in.’ Jill rubbed her palms together. ‘What’s the plan, boss?’
‘Simmer down, while I work out the details with Detective Grimes. If Lacey is involved with the murder, Grimes needs to be the arresting officer. Finish your dessert, Jill, and I’ll take you back to the hotel. Then I need to make a few phone calls.’
Jill took one bite and pushed away the plate. ‘I can’t eat anymore. Get out your credit card, Mikey, while I flag down the waiter. This dinner is on us. Nick, why don’t you bring your car around to the front? I can’t wait to get this show on the road.’
After dinner with Nick and Michael, Jill barely slept a wink. It took Nick little time to dig up plenty of dirt on Alexis’s ex-boyfriend, thanks to the state police databanks. These days Ross Lacey might pay his bills by buying and selling stocks and junk bonds from home, but that hadn’t always been the case. Lacey had been fired from three different brokerage firms before going out on his own. With two arrests for assault, both in the workplace, Lacey apparently was a hothead. He also had two prior restraining orders filed against him by women co-workers. Since Lacey had no convictions and never spent a single night in jail, the complaints against him must have been settled out of court. As a security broker in Kentucky, Lacey had to list his place of business on his license, which in his case was his residence. He did not live in a good part of town, despite his flashy car and expensive watch. Armed with this information, Jill planned to turn the tables on the sociopath and hopefully, Ross Lacey’s luck was about to run out.