Blood Is Thicker Than Wine

by Liz Eagle

  The Chandlers said their goodbyes to the Gaylords. Phillip kissed Jacqueline and sent her off with her father. He was helping to clear the dishes from the table. Certain that his father would not miss the opportunity to dampen his happy news, he just waited in the dining room for him to strike.

  “You certainly dropped a hell of a bombshell on us tonight, son,” Milton said, leaning on one side of the door frame with his arms crossed. “I hope you have carefully considered all aspects of this upcoming nuptial. I don’t suppose you have broached the subject of a prenuptial agreement with that woman. Your mother may come into a fortune from the Eastmans at some point. And, with you as our sole heir, I would hate for it all, or even a piece of it, to go to that big city slut!”

  “Now just hold your horses, Dad,” Phillip said. “That was a terrible thing to say. There is no reason to call names here. I am in love with that girl, and we will marry. If you’re worried about whether I will pass the bar, I will. I will join the firm, and we will live happily ever after. That is all. Now leave me alone.”

  “Yeah, right,” Milton replied, “like that will ever happen. You have never been faithful to any woman you have met. What makes you think this is any different? You should have just limited your male urges to Doc Lewis’s wife. At least she has some money to acquire, if the chance arises. This girl has nothing. You and I know she will not make you happy, and before you know it, you will be screwing anything with a skirt that comes into the office. Just admit it now and get on with it.” Milton went upstairs and went to sleep, he could feel his temper catching up with him.

  Phillip stopped himself from raising his voice to his father. Even though he might have been right about some things, his father had never spoken to him like that before. How did he know about Cynthia? Now was not the time to ask. Phillip guessed that Gus must have said something that got under his skin for him to talk like that, but he had consumed too much wine to figure out what it might have been. Phillip was really not offended. He knew he would have worse things come at him when he started to practice law.

  The next morning at breakfast, before Phillip had woken up, Milton confronted Louise. “You gave that girl poisoned brandy. You knew, didn’t you?” He looked at her with contempt. “You compromised our secret, Gus is very suspicious.” She didn’t look at him.

  “I...I...I only thought-” she couldn’t squeeze out the words fast enough.

  “God dammit, what the hell is wrong with this family?!” Milton was screaming. His fist slammed down on the table and she was certain all of the neighbors would be able to hear. It didn’t even seem like he cared one bit. He was on a rampage.

  Milton called Max at the inn. “You need to get that Gaylord family out of your house right now,” he demanded. “Gus is snooping around town, and I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit!”

  “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” Max asked Milton. “What is wrong with you? When Gus and Jacqueline came back last night, they were happy and laughing. What happened after they left your house to get you so riled up? Do we need some hows your father? to calm you down?”

  “No,” Milton said. “Absolutely not, not right now. Well, to start with Phillip announced that he had proposed to Jacqueline. That started it, quite frankly. You know he can’t keep it in his pants. How will that ever work? Then Gus talked about the case he is working on and mentioned something about how you and Gynnie are helping him with that particular case by telling him all about the winemaking business. Don’t you know you could just ruin everything by doing that?!

  “You don’t have any reason to talk to me that way,” Max said. “I am the one stretching my neck out over here by eavesdropping on them. This winemaking business has nothing to do with anything the FBI could be working on. I knew Phillip and Jacqueline were seeing a lot of each other, but when we last listened through the vents, her father told her to wait awhile. It sounded like she was following her father’s direction, and they were going to wait. Wait, did he really say I was helping him?”

  “Yes, you stupid imbecile!” Milton said. “Weren’t you listening to me? You have got to stop him in his tracks, or I am warning you, I won’t be at your side saving your ass ever again! You can put that in your pipe and smoke it!” Milton was so angry he hung up the phone.

  Chapter 47

  Warsaw, New York

  Louise called Gynnie the next morning to get some sympathy. “I should have called sooner today, but I had to wait until Milton was out of here,” she said. “He is in such a snit about dinner last night. Come to think about it, I don’t know what to do. Phillip asked Jacqueline to marry him, and Milton and I are so upset over the whole mess. Why couldn’t he just be satisfied with the women in this town? Everyone knows he is sleeping with Doc Lewis’s wife. That poor boy. Now he is going to marry a ‘nobody’ from the city.” Louise started to tear up, and Gynnie could hear how hurt she was.

  “Oh, you poor dear,” she said to Louise. “I know it was a shock. Milton called Max this morning and really chewed Max out. I am not sure that was a smart idea. Max is fuming and making all kinds of comments under his breath. He is so on edge. That is not a good situation at all.”

  “Well, I have to focus on trying to stop this wedding,” Louise said. “I am not going to have some big city gold digger marry my only son and benefit from the Eastman fortune while I am still breathing. We are all so unnerved by this revelation. It makes it especially difficult with her sneaky FBI father snooping around. I have to tell you, I could not live with that man underfoot. I would be jumpy as a rabbit. I do not know how you have done it this long. Aren’t you petrified of saying the wrong thing, or letting something slip when you’ve had too much wine? My, my, you are just a saint, aren’t you?”

  Gynnie did not like that last comment and felt Louise was being a bit too sarcastic. “Well, I am going to forget you just said that, sweetheart,” she said. “And, yes, it has been difficult having them here, but we listen often through the vents. That’s how we have kept up with what is going on. Max found a locked briefcase under Gus’s bed the other day. I am sure all his notes about the case are in there, but Max could not get it open. He tried to pry it open, but it wouldn’t budge. I wonder if Milton knows someone who could unlock it without Gus knowing. And, yes, we are very careful about what we say.”

  “I am not sure Milton knows anyone, but it would not hurt to ask.” Louise thought about the brandy and fantasized on how she could get Jacqueline to drink a whole jar and die. Louise and Gynnie hung up.

  Chapter 48

  Warsaw, New York

  Cynthia Lewis had become obsessed with the state her husband was in the other night. She had never heard him talk like that, and he hardly ever drank himself into oblivion. Occasionally he would get tipsy at the Country Club or when they socialized with the Chandlers or other doctors, but nothing more than that. She decided to have another look in the safe. If something he looked at upset him that much, she wanted to know what it was. She certainly could not get him to divulge what was wrong to her.

  Waiting until after the good doctor had left to go to the hospital, she went into his study. Cynthia turned the combination to the date of their anniversary and opened it. She saw reams of medical files. She had been warned not to look at those files because of her husband’s strict adherence to confidentiality so she bypassed them and reached to get the files behind them. She saw some pictures and while gathering them, her hand bumped into something made out of glass. She removed all the files, placed them on the floor and grabbed the glass jar, one of two filled with homemade wine. Cynthia recognized the wine because she helped to prepare the communion chalices at the Episcopal church once a month and knew that Max and Gynnie donated their homemade wine. She wondered why her husband kept Max’s wine in the safe. Muttering under her breath, Cynthia said, “Interesting. Perhaps he put the jars in there to keep them away from her or their daughter or maybe h
e just forgot it was in there. He should have given it to the church. Or maybe he could be saving it for a special occasion.” No. She dismissed that thought. There was nothing special between them anymore.

  Next, Cynthia looked at the pictures. There were some of their family, of happy days gone by with their son and daughter at the lake. Cynthia missed her son so much. Seeing his photo had caused her to become overwhelmed with grief, and she started to cry. Cynthia had been devastated by his death, and the grief continued to overwhelm her. It seemed like a good time to drown her sorrows with beer. She left her husband’s office to go downstairs. Grabbing a Schlitz from the refrigerator, Cynthia gulped about half the can down in one swallow.

  Startled by a knock at the back door, Cynthia put the opened beer back in the refrigerator and pushed back the curtain. It was Milton Chandler, so she opened the door.

  “Milton.” she said. “What brings you to our home?” Trying to smile, she wiped away her tears but continued to be overwhelmed by the family photos.

  “Cynthia.” Milton said. “Sorry to startle you. I know it’s early, but I wondered if the doctor was still here?” It was obvious to Milton that Cynthia had been drinking. He could smell the beer on her breath. He knew it was a telltale sign of functioning alcoholics to drink early, cry or sob at their behavior, and drink even more. Cynthia was a classic alcoholic; the whole town knew it. Milton hated to see her like this and felt sorry for his friend, the doctor. She had really let herself go after their son was killed.

  “I am so sorry, Milton,” Cynthia said. “He just left for the hospital a few minutes ago. I am sure you can find him there. Would you like me to pass on a message to him for you, in case I see him first?”

  “No, thank you very much,” Milton said. “I need to speak to him in person about a sensitive …” He cleared his throat to give him time to decide what to say. “…a sensitive legal matter. But thank you for your time.” Milton knew it was best to leave quickly, having heard her reputation for offering sex to any man around, especially when she was drunk. He wished that Phillip had not gotten involved with her and hoped he would stop the whole affair now that he was engaged.

  “That will be fine, then,” Cynthia said. She thought for a second that Milton may be able to satisfy her sexually but let that thought fade away. Instead she added as he headed for the door, “I hope Phillip is getting along alright. I have not seen him around lately. He must be studying for the bar, and that is what is taking up all his time.” She thought she might pry some information out of Milton about when she could get together with Phillip again.

  Milton replied, “He has been studying, but he made a rather abrupt announcement to his mother and I last night. He told us that he has proposed to Miss Jacqueline Gaylord. So, suffice to say, we have a lot to do too if we are to prepare for a big wedding in this town. His mother and I are, naturally, worried he has bitten off more than he can chew, so to speak. The whole family is in a tizzy at the moment.

  “Oh my,” Cynthia said. “That is big news for the entire family. I suppose that the Chandlers and McDougals will have to put their heads together to get this fancy shindig off and running. Oh, by the way, I happened to come across two jars of Max’s homemade wine just today, so it appears we have extra if you need it for the reception. If not, I will just take it to the church next Sunday.” Cynthia hoped that Milton did not smell the beer on her. She would have asked Milton for sex but decided to wait for Phillip to have his fill of the city girl and come running back to her. It was a bit of a blow to hear that Phillip had decided to settle down. But Cynthia knew he was not capable of that. He would be back.

  Cynthia went back to the safe and put the files back in the order she remembered, pausing to look at the family photos again. Her family had been so happy before her son was killed. Spotting more pictures in a dark corner in the back of the safe, Cynthia had to pry them out. She was flabbergasted by the sight of a naked young woman. Cynthia recognized her as one of the nurses at the hospital. She knew her husband was getting his urges satisfied somewhere, but right under her nose? The naked nurse was sitting, with her legs spread apart, on the office chair right here in his study, and her husband was standing right beside her with his pants down around his knees. He was obviously excited, and it showed. She wondered how he was able to sneak that floosy into their home? Then she remembered that the nurse was here with some other folks from the hospital last year when they hosted the annual hospital party. It was an outside affair, and he must have snuck her inside. “How dare you!” she shouted. “You selfish bastard! In our home!” Cynthia grew angrier and needed a drink. The beer would take too long. She went for the jars of wine instead, pried open the top and started to drink.

  Chapter 49

  Winston-Salem, North Carolina

  The U.S. Attorney’s office was buzzing with activity. People going up and down the hall and going into each other’s office to get opinions on cases or case law. In the breakroom Harris grabbed a cup of coffee and listened to the conversation. She was new, so no one expected her to chime in. She stood by the door and watched and smiled. They were talking about Officer Starling, Lil, being shot at down at her beach house. Some of them had beach houses near hers ...it was terrible...no place was not safe anymore…how could it happen to such a nice officer...a long line of suspects...blah, blah, blah. Harris had enough. She had to put this to an end and get out of town. She liked Cherry Grove, she might go back there sometime.

  When she got home, Lil had one more box to rummage through. She was close to finding out what had happened back then in the little town in which she grew up. She could feel it. Opening up the box, the first document she came to was the death certificates for the two girls. Her grandfather had somehow gotten his hands on those for his investigation.

  “Hey, honey,” she called to Joe. “Come here and look what I just found.” Lil was excited to finally see the actual certificates.

  Joe came into the living room and sat down beside his wife. He looked at the certificates and read their cause aloud. “The official cause of death was strangulation. Okay, so what’s so important about this? I thought you had already read in your grandfather’s notes that the cause of death was strangulation?”

  “Yes, but look who signed both of the certificates,” Lil said.

  “Oh,” Joe said. “It was Doc Lewis. So now what? What does this mean? Do you think that his daughter tried to kill you over these?”

  “Well, maybe,” Lil said. “I just wonder if someone could get these records now or even a while back. They are pretty old, you know. I guess they would be considered public records, and anyone could get them, but I don’t know about that stuff. I just thought it was an exciting revelation, but now that I think about it, maybe not.” Lil was disappointed. She still needed some time to put it all together. She was even more determined to solve this case and hoped that Doc Lewis’s daughter would be apprehended or found and questioned soon. She wanted to talk to her but would not go against the Judge’s orders.

  “This is the last box,” she said. “I will be sad once I have gone through everything. What happens if I know even less than when I started?”

  Joe put his arm around her and kissed her head. “You have accomplished so much,” he told Lil. “I know your dad and grandfather would both be so proud of you. They would not have asked that these boxes be given to you if they did not think you would get to the bottom of this. Keep sorting and reading. Maybe you will find that last piece of paper that will solve this whole case for you. When you do, I hope it leads to getting the doc’s daughter off our butts! When it happens, we are going back to the beach and we are not wearing our bulletproof vests either.” He smiled, and Lil smiled, too.

  She spent the last few hours organizing the remaining documents and files. Her Grandpa Gus had been meticulous and detailed in his notes, but he sure had not filed them in order. She organized the material by date, separated the
hand-written notes from the FBI reports and kept going. It was dark outside by the time she quit.

  “I cannot look at another piece of paper,” Lil told Joe. “My eyes are burning. The rest of the box will have to wait for another day. I have to be in court tomorrow for another sentencing, and I need some rest.” They turned off all the lights and went to bed.

  The US Marshal sitting in his car outside their house made a note in his notebook that the lights went off at this time. There was no suspicious activity in or around Lil’s neighborhood. He was trained to blend in and be virtually invisible, but he was still worried that because Lil was a seasoned officer she might notice a government-issued car parked just down the street. She never saw him, or not that he noticed anyway.

  He was about to start his car and pull away thinking there was no activity on the street when a car rounded the corner and moved slowly by Lil’s house. The marshal scooted down in the seat till the car went by him. He noted the color, make and model and wrote it down. He waited, but It never came back around. Probably some drunk coming home late. He started the car and pulled away.

  Lil and Joe were startled awake by a loud crash. It sounded like it was so loud they thought it was on the other side of the bedroom wall, a window breaking, or an explosion. “Get your gun. Call 9-1-1.” Joe yelled at Lil. He was already out of the bed, on his feet with gun drawn. Lil did as he commanded and grabbed “Pearl.” She would not let someone get the jump on her again. She quietly picked up the phone, dialed 9-1-1, and reported a possible break-in.

  She followed Joe, they both had guns drawn. Deja vu. Hands were not shaking this time. Lil had released the safety on her gun. She was not going to be taken by surprise again. Joe went around the first corner to the hall. It was clear, so he waved for Lil follow. He turned slowly into the kitchen, lifted his gun and pointed. There was no one there. What had happened? Lil turned on all the lights in the house and went room by room with gun in hand. The front window was broken. Someone tried to get in but did not make it into the house. The alarm did not go off.