by Kieran York
“Any more ideas about who might have killed your late husband?”
“He had enemies.”
“But you still think it was Otis?”
“He’s one of the enemies. Sheriff, it could have been anyone. A robbery. Also, I just found out there’s that goofy ex-con. He was hanging out with Cal.”
“Luther Sumner?”
“Right. I stopped by to see Cal at the store. I knew when Grace has her various meetings and would be out of the store. I was speaking with Cal when Luther entered. Cal said he had to talk with him. I didn’t know anything about this Luther until one of the ranch hands mentioned him. Seems like you’re demanding he not leave town.”
“I’m demanding no one connected to Cal leave town. Do you have any idea what they might have been talking about?”
“Probably guns, or old times.”
“If you hear anything more, please let me know.” Royce made her way to the exit. She placed her Stetson on her head as she stepped out onto the porch area. “Anything at all that could help me, I’d like for you to tell me.”
Nita shrugged. “I’ll do that.”
Royce drove away repeating Nita Wagner’s words to Chance. “She’ll do that. Just like she was so forthcoming about her long list of dead husbands.” Royce drove to a secluded spot where she used her smartphone to check out the information about the deaths of Nita’s husbands. Her story wasn’t in conflict with the official causes of death. She hadn’t bumped off the first three husbands. The fourth was still in dispute.
One of Royce’s mentors back at the police academy stated that half of the murders are opportunistic. Nita could be called a very opportunistic financial survivor.
***
On the way back to Timber, Royce stopped off at the Crystal’s Sheriff’s Department. Although it was housed in what would be considered a strip mall, it gave the Sheriff’s Department a base in Crystal. Royce changed from her uniform into a spare outfit she used to exercise. Nick entered as she was running on the treadmill. He sat on the stationary exercise bike. He hadn’t changed out of his uniform, so it was obvious he just wanted a conference.
“Anything new,” she asked. She changed to the glider rowing machine.
“Nothing. There were a dozen drunk college students reported. It’s that time of year. So they were getting a little rowdy in the Crystal Lounge. They settled down when I arrived. No charges. So what did you find out about Nita Wagner?”
“Everything she gave me checked out. Of course, maybe there were more husbands.”
Nick laughed loudly. “Now she’s in the market for a new husband. I’m glad I’m taken. Also, I have no money. After the kids get through college, I’ll have absolutely no money at all. My adorable wife says money is an encumbrance.”
“Tell Beverly hi for me.”
“Royce,” he said loosening his tie, “I wouldn’t want to be single at this time in my life. You’re also happier when you’re with someone.”
“There isn’t anyone at this moment. I’m bracing to be alone forever.”
“I was hoping that Lyn would stick around. Now Hertha is back. Maybe it’s some kind of fate. Lyn leaves, and Hertha shows up back at her pup and kitty clinic.”
“Not everything is fate. She and the professor split, and she returned to Timber.” Royce rowed faster, speeding up with the machine. “I’m fine. I live out with Gran, and work the rest of the time.”
“By the way, what’s going on with scumbag Luther?”
“He’s moaning. Says he’s going to sue Timber for demanding he stick around. He even threatened both me and Chance.”
“That’s no good. Especially the threat to Chance. I mean, you threw his ass in prison for a decade. Chance never did a danged thing to him.”
Amused, Royce divulged, “She growled. He’s terrified of dogs. His entire family hated dogs.”
“Royce, be careful. You know better than anyone what he’s capable of doing.”
“When you interrogated him, did you get any feel for his culpability?”
“I like him for Cal’s murder. That would take him off the streets for the rest of his life. But for some reason I don’t think he did it.” Nick sighed deeply.
“The reports are beginning to trickle in. I was pretty sure of the sequence, but I wanted to get the data from Forensics. Cal was shot in the back of the head from several feet away. Then another bullet was put in the back of the scull, near the neck. The killer picked up the gun, which according to Otis, was on the corner of the desk. He or she moved away, turned and shot. Returned to the body and put another bullet in his head – close up. Cal trusted whoever killed him. Enough to allow the killer to pick up the gun, and shoot him from the back.”
Nick speculated, “It wasn’t a robbery, or someone he didn’t know. And the gun was valuable. I’ve seen Cal play with guns when there were customers around. Let them feel the guns. But this gun was loaded.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t get it.”
“Maybe we’ll get a better idea when they send us the ballistics report in the morning. I’ll let you know. I know what you mean about Cal being cavalier around weapons. Part of his makeup was enhanced by carrying. He’d puff up. Even though he was a large man, he felt so much more secure with a firearm.”
“That’s common with plenty of people. The great equalizer.”
“Did you notice the store has more assault rifles than ever before?” Royce quizzed. “Automatics of all kinds. He’s got guns that respectable hunters wouldn’t touch.”
“I talked with a guy last hunting season that claimed killing the prey was kinder with automatics. If it was a miss, it was easier to fire again or several times, until the animal was downed.”
Royce grimaced. “The option is to be a good enough shot to down the animal with one or two shots. If you’re not that good of a hunter, take up sail-boating.”
“Right. Exactly.” Nick nodded. “That’s it.”
“I get when a hunter goes out to shoot wildlife in order to fill the freezer for his family. It’s the hunters that do it for sport. For the thrill to kill.”
“Royce, maybe it’s the same principle with killers. The thrill of the kill.”
“Could be. Nothing thrilling about being on the receiving end of a bullet.” Royce felt her left upper arm. “Being fired on can cause a world of hurt.”
“How is your arm doin?”
“Fine. The bullet scar looks like a moon landing’s photo of a crater. But it’s minor.” The shot from a year ago had healed. “No permanent damage. I’m lucky.”
“So do us all a favor, and stay lucky.” Nick walked toward the door. “I’m out of here. If I’m late again for dinner, I’m in big trouble.”
Royce chuckled. “And watching me at the rowing machine isn’t a valid excuse.”
“Not even close.” Nick teased, “Maybe you would get rid of some of that energy if you found a sweet woman.”
Tossing her towel at him, she answered, “See you in the morning.”
“Royce,” he said as he turned back to her. “Don’t forget what I said about being careful. When I talked with Luther the one thing I did see was hate in his eyes when he mentioned your name.”
“He mentioned my name?”
“When I took him in to question him the first time. He asked where Sheriff Royce Madison was. It was the way he said it. His eyes went dark with hatred.”
Luther had despised her as long as she could remember. Since, he’d been released from prison, he hadn’t come after her. She considered it a long shot that he would try anything now. She repeated the word, long shot. Tamping down the chill that traveled the length of her spine, she considered that he was a bully. That was his temperament. Bullying. He was attempting to instill fear.
Chapter 11
Royce decided to pay Otis Brull a visit first thing that morning. His cabin wasn’t far from Gran’s homestead, so it would save the sheriff driving into Timber only to return to interview Otis once again.
; When his door flapped back, he was surprised to see Royce. “Have you found who killed Cal?”
“Otis, I haven’t.” She took off her Stetson. “I have a few more questions I’d like to ask you?”
“I got questions myself. I gave you all the answers I got.” He stepped outside. “I got a question for you. Are you givin’ me back my gun?”
Royce shrugged. “Eventually. But it’s evidence at this time. Now it’s my turn for a question. Forty years ago you and Cal had a problem. You’d been friends prior to that.”
“We was best friends through grade school and high school. Then we had us a fallin’ out. But that’s got nothin’ at all to do with his killing. If either of us would have wanted to kill the other, hell – we’d a done the shootin’ forty years ago.”
“It’s a little late to get the story from his side, but I would like to know what set the two of you off the friendship. And don’t tell me it was nothing. It was important enough for the two of you to hold a grudge all this time.”
“It was just about women. The guy couldn’t stop playing with women. I felt sorry for Grace. She didn’t deserve his gallivanting. He thought he was God’s gift to the ladies. Grace told me that was why she refused to have kids until he settled down. Took him ten years or so before he got her convinced to have children. Well, what he did was be more careful – but he was still runnin’ after skirts. She figured it out, but by that time she had the kids. She waited until the young uns were gown up. Finally, she got out of the marriage when the kids were of age.”
“Convenient for Cal that Nita was available. Do you think he was unfaithful to Nita?”
“I think he’d fool around on any woman. With any woman. Or anyone’s woman. But I think he was spent out by the time Nita married him. After our spat, we only talked about guns. I’d have to drive sixty miles to find another gunsmith to take care my handguns and rifles.”
“You ran up a bill with Cal, and he threatened to take your gun,” she challenged.
“I’d a given him one of my other guns, but not that one. He was a damned thief. He was a swindler. He knew exactly what that gun of mine is worth.” Otis glowered.
“Did you want him dead?” She viewed his face flush. “Well?”
“Lots a people wanted him dead. I was just one of ‘em he fought with. But I never killed him.”
“Can you show me your other guns, Otis. I have an interest in guns.” Royce wanted a way into the cabin, so that she could get a feel for how the recluse lived.
When the door eased back, Royce was astounded. It was by no means immaculately clean, but it was well-kept. There were six rifles in their racks on the wall. His furniture was sparse, but nothing looked out of place. He opened the hutch’s upper drawer. A dozen handguns were neatly placed on a velvet liner. “I got me permits for all of ‘em, Sheriff. Every blasted one of ‘em.”
“Nice collection,” Royce commented. She walked to the door. Glancing around, she saw his spartanly decorated bedroom in one direction, and his neatly groomed kitchen in the other. “Do you have a telephone? In case I need for you need more information?”
“I got no phone. Don’t need one. Anybody who has a hankerin’ to see me – that’s their problem, not mine.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you might be a tad unsociable?”
“Nope. Not to my face. Anyways, I checked on getting a phone once. Back in the seventies. It was highway robbery. They wanted twenty-two bucks to install the danged thing. Then twelve bucks every month.”
Royce hoped he didn’t see her try to hide her smile. When Royce would later relate the story to her grandmother, Gran would call it one for the books.
***
Stopping a carload of what Royce presumed were college students on their way up to Crystal resort, was a minor event in the morning. The young men were polite, took the speeding ticket in stride, and drove away. Royce determined from the expensive late model car, and the four men’s clothing, that a seventy-dollar ticket meant very little to them.
When she dropped by the Times office, she told Gwen and Nadine about the morning. Gwen gulped her laughter down as she stated, “Hell’s bells, Otis would have fainted over anything that cost him seventy bucks.”
Royce chuckled. “The thing is, he surprises me. First, knowing that he had a gun worth a fortune. Secondly, his cabin wasn’t waist high in rubbish.”
Gwen glanced up quickly, “I forgot to ask if anything came up on the Jane Doe. I didn’t have much luck on my Internet search.”
“Nothing in the rafter files. I’ve read your files, as well as all the old newspaper clippings. Nothing. But Forensics agreed to my impassioned pleas to find out who the murder victim is. If they can run a DNA profile, maybe they’ll come up with relatives. Someone must have alerted Missing Persons at one time or another. Finding out who she belonged to, and where she belonged – well, that may be the best I can do.”
“Have you mentioned it to any of the town’s folk?”
“Plato. He didn’t have anything. As for the merchants, and business people, not yet, but I thought I’d go over to the Bell Ringer later.”
“Faye’s slept with most of the men in town,” Gwen guffawed. “So she may only know where the missing men are.”
Royce shook her head. “And you were doing so great in getting along with her all this time. Please don’t start up your feud again.”
“I won’t. Nadine keeps saying how I should be nice to her. She’s all alone now that Jade lives in Denver. So I’ll keep it friendly. Speaking of spending a life alone.”
“Don’t start.”
“Royce, can’t you just offer Hertha friendship? I’ll tell you a secret if you can keep it quiet.”
“You know I can.” Royce gave a deep sigh.
“Hertha told me that from the first, when she moved there, she was unhappy. She and the kids moved in with Ingrid. She immediately knew it was a mistake.”
“She stayed with the mistake for a year?”
“I asked her about that. She said she kept thinking that she’d let one woman down, and she didn’t want to let another down. Now that she has left Ingrid, she won’t ever get involved with you again. She said she couldn’t stand to hurt you again if things didn’t work out. So your precious freedom is safe.”
Royce groaned. “Damn, she won’t come back to me because she thinks she might let me down? Who the hell does she think she is? I’m not asking her to come back to me. In fact, I’d never consider taking her back. Tell her that next time she gets on her high horse that I don’t want her.”
The door behind her was slammed harder than Royce would have liked it to have shut. Royce would hear about it from Gwen next time she saw the older woman. Gwen would mention that she must have feelings, or why did the usually soft-spoken sheriff become so angry.
Royce would answer that she wasn’t being irate. Just disappointed in Hertha’s self-delusion.
***
Faye Arnall’s life had loss, but she tended not to show it. She lost her lover when Yancy went off to prison over fifteen years ago. Then he died recently while still incarcerated. Her daughter moved to the city, and rarely came back to Timber City to visit. However, Faye wasn’t showing any signs of loneliness. As owner and proprietor of the Bell Ringer Saloon, she had told everyone in town that she’d recovered quickly. A rapid healer. If she was the last woman standing, it didn’t matter. She would say, ‘I’ll drink to life. I’ll live today with my knockers up, and a big old smile.’
When Royce entered, she noticed Faye’s big old smile had faded slightly. “Coffee,” Royce ordered.
Faye walked slowly to the coffee maker. She placed the mug of steaming coffee in front of the sheriff. She sat across from Royce in the corner booth. “Want something special, or are you just burning an afternoon break away from your office?”
“Something special. I have a few questions. Faye, is there anything you can tell me about any of the suspects in Cal’s homicide? I’m talking their hi
stories, backgrounds – anything?”
“Like I told you before, his relatives are the ones inheriting everything. Toots and her horses get the ranch. And I heard additional money. The business is already half Grace’s. The other half, Cal’s share, goes to the kids. Motive. Money is a great motivator when it comes to two spoiled kids. My kid might be spoiled rotten, but she doesn’t hold a candle to the Wagner brats.”
“From everything I’ve heard, Tony was Cal’s favorite. If so, why would Tony kill the golden goose? Emma and Tony are suspects. But the read I’m getting is that the two of them would much rather off one another. Nita has millions of reasons.”
Faye leaned nearer. “Nita is the most ambitious of them all. One of the shop owners, Marion, told me about a conversation she had yesterday with Nita. They’re friends.”
“Marion owns a women’s clothing shop here in Timber and the new boutique up in Crystal at the mall, right?”
“Exactly. She’s up rubbing elbows with the folks up at Crystal mostly. Snooty bitch since she opened the shop in Crystal. She said she put her non-selling rags here in Timber. Her fashion is up in Crystal. Pissed me off. She got her start here. Uppity bitch. Anyway, she has always gossiped about the Timber bumpkins. She told me that Nita and Cal fought about the running of the horse business. Nita said Cal could stick all his guns up his ass. He didn’t know jack about quarter horses. Then she said she’d tried to teach him, and he didn’t listen. He’d threatened to shut her business down if it didn’t get to earning.”
“I thought it was a going enterprise. Nita represented it to be a lucrative concern.”
“Cal called it her expensive hobby.”
“So that’s definitely a motive,” Royce concurred.
“Marion was frightened that if Nita sold up everything and moved, she’d be out a customer. I guess that was another of Cal’s moans. Nita spent money like water. Especially after her three-year nuptial deal ended.”