100 Proof Murder

by Mary Ellis

  Jill sighed. ‘That’s not good. I was sure we had our man … I mean, Detective Grimes had her man.’

  ‘Exactly, that’s why I wanted to alert you and Alexis. Both of you need to watch your back. Ross Lacey will soon be free as a bird until his stalking trial.’

  ‘Alexis just dropped me off at the hotel. Michael is using the car. Why don’t you pick me up and we tell Alexis together?’

  ‘I can’t. That’s the other half of my news. The sheriff of Nelson County, where I grew up, called. He has my mother at the station and asked me to come take her home. I threw some clothes in a bag and I’m on my way there now.’

  ‘Oh, dear, has your mother been arrested? This is starting to sound way too familiar.’

  Nick snorted. ‘I don’t think so, but Sheriff Wilkins didn’t want to go into details on the phone.’

  ‘Have you tried calling her?’

  ‘Since Mom refuses to carry a cell phone, I haven’t spoken to her in a few days.’

  ‘Have you talked to your sisters?’

  ‘Not yet. I’d rather get to Lorraine and gauge the situation then give them a call later.’ Wiping sweat from his neck, Nick climbed behind the wheel to get out of the sun. ‘Now, tell me your news. What happened at the lawyer’s office to upset Alexis?’

  ‘Gosh, where do I start? Everything was going along as expected – Mr Scott remembered his brother, his housekeeper, the chauffer, and his parish priest with generous bequests. But when he got to his wife and daughter, the bigger chunk went to Alexis not Rose.’

  ‘What’s the big deal? Alexis could always write a check to Mommy Dearest to even the pot.’

  ‘No-ooo.’ Jill dragged out the word. ‘Because a man named Kevin Scott walked in with his lawyer and claimed he’s Mr Scott’s son by another woman. This so-called son alleges he was born first and therefore entitled to Alexis’s half by the specific wording in the will. Somehow this Bardstown attorney must have obtained a copy of the document.’

  Nick whistled through his teeth. ‘What a bombshell. No wonder Alexis needed to vent. Is she afraid of losing her legacy?’

  ‘She sounded more upset by the existence of an unknown half-brother. I guess she really wanted a sibling while growing up.’

  ‘I can vouch for that. Whenever I complained about one of my sisters in college, Alexis said she’d gladly take her off my hands.’

  ‘You don’t suppose this half-brother bumped off dear old dad? He insists that Mr Scott pledged to take care of him. Maybe he got tired of waiting around for Dad to do the right thing.’

  Nick tightened his grip on the steering wheel. ‘Hold on there, Jill. Probate court will determine the legality of the will and the homicide department will track down Scott’s killer. You need to keep your pretty little nose out of this.’ Realizing how patronizing that sounded, Nick braced himself for an argument.

  ‘You’re right,’ Jill said sweetly. ‘Would you like me to go to Lorraine with you? I could be your emotional support for a change.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’ll make this trip alone. You stay close to the hotel. If you go to Parker Estate for any reason, take Michael with you.’

  ‘OK, Nick. Give your mom a hug from me and stay in touch. I won’t turn my phone off.’

  ‘Please be careful. Don’t underestimate Ross Lacey.’ Nick hung up with a bad feeling in his gut. He hated the idea of leaving town with a stalker about to be released in society – one who had already threatened Jill – along with some mysterious sibling of Alexis’s who had suddenly crawled from the woodwork. Could this brother possibly have anything to do with William Scott’s murder? As much as Nick wanted to stay in Louisville and check into this Kevin Scott, his mother needed him more. Since his three sisters had families of their own, besides living out of town, Nick needed to step up as head of the family. Or he’d never be able to look himself in the mirror again.

  Nick trounced down on the accelerator and reached Lorraine in record time, grateful that none of his peers had radar along his route. He would have a hard time rationalizing why he had driven fifteen miles above the speed limit. Taking the steps into the sheriff’s department two at a time, Nick flashed his identification before reaching the front counter. ‘Nick Harris of the Kentucky State Police to see Sheriff Wilkins.’

  ‘Lieutenant Harris, come on back.’ Wilkins’s bald head appeared in the doorway. ‘Let’s talk in my office for a moment. Then I’ll take you to her.’

  Ignoring the curious looks from several deputies, Nick circled the front counter, entered Wilkin’s office and closed the door behind him. He didn’t sit down. ‘How is my mother?’ he asked.

  ‘Fine, fine. Have a seat, Lieutenant. One of my female deputies seems to have calmed her down. I believe they’re having chamomile tea at the moment.’ Wilkins perched on the corner of his desk. ‘But I must tell you we’re not equipped to handle civilians experiencing any type of breakdown. Normally, we would have EMTs transport them to the nearest hospital. We kept Mrs Harris here as a professional courtesy to you.’ He met and held Nick’s gaze.

  Nick exhaled breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. ‘I understand, sir, and I appreciate it. Could you explain what happened?’

  ‘As you requested, Hickory Street was placed on regular patrol. An officer drove by your mother’s house once each shift.’ Hawkins tugged on his earlobe, a gesture Nick’s dad also had been fond of. ‘Last night around midnight, Deputy Davis spotted your front door standing open during her drive-by. She immediately radioed dispatch and requested backup. Davis canvassed the home’s exterior until another officer arrived a few minutes later, then both deputies checked the interior of the home thoroughly. No sign of your mother. After they supplied her description to everyone on duty, Mrs Harris was spotted fifteen minutes later on the sidewalk two miles away.’

  ‘Two miles?’ Nick asked, incredulous. His mother had never been fond of exercise.

  ‘Yes, sir. The deputy asked if she would like a ride home and she said, “No, I prefer to walk, thank you. It’s a lovely evening.” Unfortunately, Mrs Harris was headed away from her house and it was starting to drizzle.’

  This time when the sheriff looked him in the eye, it felt like someone had kicked him in the gut. Each disappointment Nick had ever caused his parents came roaring back, filling him with guilt and shame.

  ‘When the second deputy left his patrol car and approached Mrs Harris on foot, your mother became agitated and took off running through the backyards. Deputy Davis caught up to her when a chain link fence boxed her in. Your mom seems more at ease with female cops than males. Davis was able to coax her into the patrol car and bring her to the station.’

  ‘The officers didn’t take her home?’ Nick asked.

  ‘I advised them against it since I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.’

  ‘Thank you, Sheriff. I’m afraid my sisters and I have underestimated the severity of Mom’s forgetfulness.’ Nick raked a hand through his hair.

  ‘That’s easy enough to do when it’s your own family member. No one likes to confront their parents’ decline. Deputy Davis has been with your mother ever since.’

  ‘Davis spent the night here?’

  ‘She did. We set up two cots in our small conference room and supplied blankets, snacks and bottled water. Mrs Harris demanded to know why she was being arrested. Remaining with her was the only way Davis could convince her she wasn’t under arrest.’ Wilkins chuckled. ‘When your mom has a lucid moment, she can be quite spunky.’

  ‘That is the truth.’ Nick rose to his feet. ‘May I take her home now? I appreciate the professional courtesy and you have my word, she won’t be left alone again. My family and I have some tough decisions to make.’

  ‘I certainly don’t envy you. I’ll take you to her.’ Wilkins led him down the hall, then opened the door on where his mother and Deputy Davis were having tea at a long table. Two plates with toast crusts and the remnants of an omelet indicated a recent meal.

  Both
women glanced up. ‘There you are, Nicky,’ Julie chimed. ‘They said you were on the way. Took your sweet ole time, didn’t you? Do you know Deputy Davis? Shannon is a lovely woman. Too bad you already have a girlfriend. What was her name – Jenny?’

  ‘Hi, Ma. How ya doin’?’ Nick, never so relieved to see anyone in his life, wrapped his arms around her neck. ‘How do you do, Deputy Davis? I’m very grateful and I apologize for any inconvenience my family caused.’

  ‘What inconvenience?’ Julie asked. ‘We’ve been having fun, discussing the stupid shows on TV. She prefers PBS documentaries just like I do.’

  Shannon Davis stretched out her hand. ‘You’re welcome, Lieutenant Harris. Your mother was a pleasure to spend time with.’

  Nick shook her hand heartily, then slipped an arm around his mother’s waist. ‘Are you ready to go home?’

  ‘I’ve been ready for hours.’ Julie practically dragged him toward the door.

  After thanking the sheriff and deputy again, Nick guided his mother to the car and buckled her in. ‘Should we stop at the grocery store on the way home? Can you think of anything you need?’

  ‘I don’t need any groceries, but let’s swing by the Dairy Queen for a hot dog and a milkshake.’

  ‘Didn’t you just finish breakfast?’

  ‘No, that was hours ago. I’ll pay, Nicky, if money is the issue.’ She smirked at him.

  ‘No, money is not the issue. If Dairy Queen is open, you may order whatever you like. I haven’t had one of their cheeseburgers in a long time.’

  His mother not only ate her chili dog and drank a milkshake, but she finished an order of fries too, which made Nick wonder how regular her meals had been. But an inspection of her refrigerator would have to wait, because the moment he pulled into the drive Mrs Diaz marched from her house carrying a pot.

  ‘Yoo-hoo, Julie. It’s me, Inez. I’ve been worried about you.’ The neighbor hurried toward the passenger side of the car.

  ‘I know who you are, you ninny. We’ve lived next to each other for thirty years.’ Julie buttoned her cardigan up to her throat. ‘What were you worried about?’

  Inez peered from Julie to Nick. ‘You didn’t come home last night. And I saw the police enter your house.’

  ‘You’re confusing real life with those shows you watch. I stayed over at a friend’s house. What do you have there?’ Julie pointed at the foil-covered Dutch oven.

  ‘Chicken and rice. Reheat for thirty minutes at three hundred.’

  Nick rounded the car and accepted the pot from the neighbor. ‘Thanks, Mrs Diaz. That was very nice of you.’

  ‘Yes, very nice, but unnecessary,’ Julie hollered on her way in. ‘I can cook every bit as good as you, Inez Diaz.’ She let the screen door slam behind her.

  ‘Sorry, Mrs Diaz. Mom’s not been herself lately.’

  ‘I know, Nicky. The other night when I came to the back fence to chat Julie didn’t recognize me. She asked if I was housesitting for the Diazes. Carlos told me to mind my own business, but I thought you should know.’

  ‘I’m glad you told me. I’ve let this situation go on too long.’ Nick backed away from her. ‘Thanks again for the casserole.’

  ‘You’re welcome. Don’t worry about the pot.’

  Nick had no trouble finding room for the chicken and rice. The refrigerator was empty except for condiments. In the living room his mother was already engrossed in a television show. ‘What happened to the grocery deliveries arranged from the IGA?’ he asked.

  She barely glanced up. ‘I sent those deliveries back. If I can’t pick out my own fruits and vegetables I don’t want them.’

  ‘Then what on earth have you been eating?’ Nick struggled to keep his voice even.

  ‘I eat just fine. You worry too much, Nicky. You should be more like your sisters.’

  Nick pulled the ottoman up to the sofa. ‘Tell me what you mean by that.’

  Julie waited for a commercial to answer. ‘Your sisters aren’t the least bit worried. I haven’t heard from any of my daughters in weeks.’

  ‘Well, you just relax and enjoy your show.’ Nick draped a quilt around her shoulders, then went through the house slowly, methodically. Most of her Post-it notes were gone and the house was in a state of disarray. Trash overflowed the can. Dishes and glassware were in the wrong cupboards. Clothes lay in heaps on the floor of her closet as though she couldn’t find a particular garment. It took Nick several hours to put things back where they belonged, then he cleaned the house from top to bottom.

  About the time he started getting hungry and remembered Inez’s casserole, he found his mother sound asleep on the couch. Nick tucked a pillow beneath her head, the quilt up to her chin, and found a second blanket for the recliner where he would sleep tonight. Tomorrow he would arrange twenty-four-hour care for his mother until space in a permanent facility could be arranged. But first, the time had come for a heart-to-heart conversation with his sisters, one at a time or all at once. And he knew none of them were going to like it.

  TWELVE

  Jill woke up out of sorts, despite it being a bright and sunny morning. The perfect Sunday stretched out before her, yet she had no one to spend it with. Michael declined her offer of walking to church with breakfast to follow, preferring the concierge’s advice to try the game of golf with a free pass to a country club and a rented set of clubs. Her partner had always preferred sports on TV to anything that might make a person sweat, so his impromptu decision came as a surprise. Next, Jill suggested to Alexis they spend the day at the Louisville Zoo. Maybe an afternoon in the company of elephants, giraffes, and orangutans might distract her friend from her current woes. But Jill’s second brilliant idea was also declined. Attorney Ken Bradley was taking Alexis and her mother to brunch, followed by an intense strategy session on how to deal with the new heir.

  Jill no longer envied Alexis and it had nothing to do with the potential loss of great wealth. Alexis truly hadn’t known either of her parents. Both had kept secrets from each other and from her. Now her father’s secret had returned to haunt the family.

  On her walk back from church Jill called Nick, hoping he was on his way home from Lorraine. But if this was baseball and Jill was up to bat, she just struck out.

  ‘Sorry, sweet thing,’ Nick drawled. ‘I’ll be in Lorraine all day. If I’m lucky, I’ll be home tomorrow morning.’

  Jill swallowed her disappointment like a bitter pill. ‘Was your mother arrested or taken to the hospital?’

  ‘No, but the sheriff kept her overnight at the station for her own safety and as a courtesy to me. One of the deputies spent the night on a second cot so she could keep an eye on her.’ Nick released a weary sigh. ‘Mom’s fine now, but she gets so confused it’s not safe to leave her alone, especially at night.’

  ‘Can’t one of your sisters stay with her?’ Jill hoped that didn’t sound as selfish to his ears as it did to hers.

  ‘All of my sisters are on their way here. Then we’ll sit down and decide a short-term solution and a long-term plan for Mom.’

  ‘Things are that bad?’ Jill felt a lump form in her throat.

  ‘On Friday Mom couldn’t sleep so she went for a walk. At midnight. She was already two miles from her house when a deputy caught up with her.’

  ‘Oh, no. That’s awful.’

  ‘When I took her home from the station the house was a mess with almost no food in the fridge. She had cancelled the grocery deliveries I had set up.’

  ‘What can I do? Should I rent a car and drive to Lorraine? I can entertain your mother while the four of you hash out a plan.’

  ‘Thanks, but no. The neighbor invited her over for a hot dog and marshmallow roast over their firepit. Mom never could turn down a hot dog or a S’more.’ Nick’s laughter sounded forced. ‘Besides, with my three sisters here, who may or may not be bringing kids, this place will soon be very crowded.’

  And maybe contentious? Jill felt sorry for Nick yet understood his desire to keep one more variable
– her – out of the mix. ‘I’ll cross my fingers for a positive outcome,’ she said.

  ‘Thanks, you keep the home fires burning in Louisville. I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me.’ After a few tender endearments, Nick hung up.

  And Jill was left feeling lost and alone, which struck her as ridiculous. She had been single for a long time but almost never felt lonely. She had plenty of friends, at least back in Chicago, a great partner who usually was happy to spend time with her, plus a grandmother and aunt who lived less than an hour away. So what had changed?

  She had changed. She was in love and she was missing Nick with a ferocity that scared her.

  For ten minutes of pure bliss Jill stood in the shower, letting the hot water soothe and loosen her tight muscles. After the three people she held near-and-dear abandoned her, she’d spent Sunday afternoon inside the hotel’s workout room, punishing herself on treadmills, stationery bikes and rowing machines. Someday she would remember ‘getting back in shape’ takes longer than one afternoon. In the meantime, she never wanted to have to leave the thirty pulsating water jets.

  ‘Good grief, Curtis! Did you die in there?’ Michael’s voice intruded on Jill’s serenity. ‘Get a move on. It’s a two-hour drive to Clermont, the last distillery for our Louisville article.’

  ‘You better go without me. I think I got hit by a truck.’

  ‘You caused that pain yourself,’ said the man who now fancied himself Tiger Woods after his first thirty-six holes of golf. ‘Just take two aspirin and get dressed. I poured you a bowl of frosted flakes.’

  ‘All by yourself? There must’ve been directions on the box.’

  Jill turned off the faucets, wrapped a towel around her head, then dug out two pain relievers from her purse. By the time she finished dressing and applying make-up, the hot water and pills had worked their magic. She felt almost human when she emerged from the bathroom and heard her phone buzzing on the charger.

  Jill turned her back on Michael’s scowl when she spotted caller-ID. ‘Hello, Alexis. How are you on this lovely morning?’