I knew where I was walking, even if I was taking the long route. So I wasn't surprised to stop in front of the office of Charlie Nichols. I knew exactly where I had been going; what I was going to do was going to be the surprise.
"Mr. Sawyer," Charlie Nichols said as I entered his office, "how are you this morning?"
He was standing next to a file cabinet. His tie was loosened, and his sleeves were rolled back to his elbows. He held a manila file folder in his right hand and the incriminating cigarette in his left. He immediately placed the cigarette between his lips, passed the folder to his left hand, and extended his right hand to greet me.
I shook his hand and said, "I need to talk to you."
"Good, good," his head bobbed, "I want to assure you that Amanda is in good hands. I am absolutely certain we can establish a case with self-defense."
I gently bit the inside of my lip. Tom might have been right. If Charlie Nichols was innocent, then it would have been unfair to make a public accusation. On the other hand, if he did kill Mark and Leigh, then my private accusation might be an incentive to croak me as well.
Oh, well, what is life without risk?
I took the break in his speech to dive into the cesspool. "Did you kill Leigh Rozen?"
"What?" He appeared shocked. I was uncertain if it was a genuine shock. It was hard to tell. He was a lawyer, after all.
I repeated my question, "Did you kill Leigh Rozen? Mark Lofton's wife?"
"I know who she is!" He sat down behind his desk. "Why would I kill her?"
"I don't know yet. And the appropriate word is 'yet.' Why don't you save me the trouble and tell me why you killed her?"
His nose flared and his cheeks turned a crimson red, "I don't know what you are getting at Sawyer. I had no reason to kill Leigh. As I hear it, you were the only one arrested at her place."
"I was only detained," I replied. "I know why I was there. I am also fairly certain that I didn't kill her."
"Neither did I."
I was beginning to realize that my bluntness was most likely not the shrewdest techniques of questioning. I presumed that he would instantly concede and confess his evil deeds. Once again I was grossly mistaken.
"Mr. Nichols, I found this in her trailer." I laid the Dunhill butt on his desk.
Nichols peered closely at it. He made certain he never touched it.
"It's your brand. It's an unusual brand that I would bet you alone in this town smoke."
His eyes lit up with fear as he whispered, "I didn't kill her."
"What were you doing there, then?" I demanded. I felt smug as I saw myself circling him.
"I wasn't there. I haven't been there in months."
My brow furrowed. He had been there, but I was absolutely confused.
"When were you there?" I asked softer than I had before.
"I finalized Leigh's divorce. I was out there taking her the paperwork a few months back." Nichols' voice was shaky. He wasn't being entirely honest.
"Do you make a lot of house calls?"
"No, on occasion. She..."
"Bartered for your services?"
He nodded, yes.
My head was swimming again. I believed him. He was distraught and panicking. He could still be capable of killing her.
"Drugs or sex?"
"She said she would sleep with me."
"Okay," I continued, "how long did the two of you have this relationship?"
"Just a few weeks back in June. One more time in July."
"Did you ever go out behind the trailer?" I asked.
"Why would I?" he still sounded sincere and scared.
"Where do you get your smokes?"
"I have to get them in Little Rock. There is a little tobacco shop across from the courthouse I usually go to."
"Know anyone else who smokes Dunhill?"
No, he shook his head.
I stared at him for a moment. He was holding his head with his left hand. He had extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. I saw the wedding band on his hand, and something in my mind popped. Tom knew about Charlie and Leigh. He knew, or at least he thought, that Charlie didn't kill her. He was concerned about Charlie's reputation. Or was he?
"How does Tom know about this?" I asked.
Charlie Nichols looked at me, "I don't know."
"Mr. Nichols. Charlie, I am sorry if I jumped to the wrong conclusion." I stood up to leave and added, "Don't worry. This isn't going past me. You have my word."
He continued to stare at me, and I couldn't tell if he was grateful or if he wanted to tell me to get out.
I walked out of his office and stormed down Main Street. How did Tom know? Maybe it wasn't important, but Tom went out of the way to make me feel like I was wrong. I had a sick feeling growing in my gut. I walked into Tom's office. Mrs. McEwan glanced up, but I didn't slow down to parry snide remarks. I walked through Tom's door and pushed it shut.
"Max?"
"You knew about Charlie Nichols!" I sat down opposite Tom's desk.
"Max..."
I cut him off, "Now, I ask myself, 'How did you know about them?' I can only figure two answers to the question. I am pretty sure that he never told you about it."
Tom leaned back in his chair. He held a black pen in his right hand that he began to tap on the edge of his desk. He cleared his throat, and we stared at each other for an instant.
Finally, he spoke, "I did know. Back in February, Cathy left me. It was after our anniversary. Twenty-eight years. She said that I was too wrapped up in everything but her. She was lonely, so she left. She moved in with her sister in Little Rock.
"Four months passed, and she still hadn't come home. By that time, I figured she might never. I began to get a little down, and one night I stopped at Mike's Bar out Highway 16. I met Leigh there. I had drunk quite a lot with her before she took me back to her place. We, us..."
"I get it, Tom."
"After that, I couldn't even work. I was more miserable, and I realized that there was no one who could take Cathy's place. I drove to Little Rock and begged her to come home. We went to Barbados for three weeks. When we got back, she came home with me."
"Does Cathy know?" I asked.
"Yes."
"And Charlie Nichols?"
"Leigh bragged about being with Charlie. That he did her divorce for free."
I leaned back, "So, you knew Leigh Rozen. You knew Charlie Nichols knew her. You even laid into me about this. You don't think this was important?"
"How is it important? Did I ask about your relationship to Ms. Rawls? It doesn't have a bearing on the case, and frankly, it was none of your business."
"It might. It seems like a good motive for either one of you. Besides we are friends, you must have known I might find out."
"I hoped you wouldn't," whispered Tom.
"Surprise, I did."
Tom sat mute. I examined him. I felt betrayed.
"What can you tell me about Leigh Rozen?" I finally asked.
"She has no record. Nothing criminal. Everything else you have most likely already deduced."
I was a little shocked. I had expected at least a prostitution or possession charge. It was odd to find someone like her who had skirted the police thus far. She was an anomaly.
However, everything about this case appeared to be an anomaly.
I stood to leave and said, "You're an ass! You berated me in order to keep a secret that doesn't even matter. Cathy already knew."
"But Teresa Nichols doesn't know."
"Just so you know," I said, "I am going to find out who did kill Mark and Leigh Lofton."
"I know," he said as I turned to leave the office.
29
I was standing on the sidewalk along Main Street when my phone rang. I quickly answered it.
"Max," said John Woods.
"Hey, John, how's it going?"
"Depends on your point of view," he answered. "I have some news for you."
"Give it to me."
"The number you g
ave me belongs to a pager. Unfortunately, it’s a prepaid deal from one of those hole-in-the-wall stores. The store's called Cell Etc. in North Little Rock on Jackson Avenue."
"Was there a name with it?"
"Nothing legit. The name was Scott Shelby, but the social and address were faked. These places don't care for details as long as you are prepaying."
"Thanks, John. Can I ask one more favor?"
I wanted to check all of the calls to and from Leigh Rozen over the past few months. Especially anything that struck an unusual chord. John agreed to unofficially check.
"I owe you," I said.
"Fine, get up here so you can take me out someplace fancy and liquor me up."
"Deal, but you gotta wear something pretty."
John chuckled into the phone.
I hung up the phone. A pager wasn't much. It could have easily been her drug connection.
I hadn't moved a step when my phone rang again.
"Did you see the news?" Lisa asked.
"No."
"Paul Grace was shot this morning."
"Is he dead?"
"Yeah. The news is saying it was a drive-by. They imply it was related to his business."
"I'm sure it was," I said. "Where are you?"
"At the paper."
"I will be there in ten minutes."
"You just can't get enough of me, huh?"
I laughed and hung up on her.
It was 9:41 a.m. and today was beginning to look like a long day. A long, eventful day.
I walked across the square to the paper in less than ten minutes. Seven, if anyone is really counting. I didn't have a lot of time to mull over Grace's death, but I tried to manage.
Paul Grace could have easily been an offed by some business partner he screwed. Maybe even some crazy, zealous Christian who God told to rid the world of its dirty, old porn dealers. It was even possible that our killer had struck once more. I wanted to hold my judgment.
Lisa was sitting behind an old, metal desk that had probably seen more reporters than Madonna, the Pope, and Prince William put together. She had a small television in the corner of her office on one of the Little Rock stations. She was tapping away on her computer as she kept one eye on the news for another report on Grace's murder.
Lisa peeked at me from her computer. I wanted to smile when I saw those bright blue eyes. I don't think I had ever really noticed them. They were blue like the sky. Almost pale, and they shimmered when she smiled.
I quivered as I tried to focus my mind, but I truly reveled in this feeling that I had abruptly overtaken me. I lamented that now was not the time.
"Hear anything yet?" I asked.
"Nothing new."
"We probably won't for now."
Lisa gave a shrug and asked, "Have we learned anything about Nichols?"
"Quite a lot. He denies having been there in months. He apparently finalized her divorce for her back in June." I had promised Charlie that his secret was safe with me, so unless it became relevant, I wasn't going to tell anyone.
"So, he's not our guy?" Lisa asked.
"Not necessarily. I believed him, so his odds have improved. I don't know that I am going to count him out just yet."
"Where does that leave us?" Lisa inquired.
"In the lurch, so to speak."
Lisa gave a little shrug, "Well, it’s a little too early for lunch. Do you think we should get to Little Rock to check into Paul Grace's death?"
"I'd bet the Little Rock cops are covering it better than we can. Besides if it was only business related, then we are sure to hear."
Lisa agreed. The question remained, what avenue did we next pursue?
"I have an idea," I said, "but it's pretty radical."
"How radical?" Lisa asked.
"Let me say that it is an extreme measure that I don't think you should be forced to witness."
"What is it?" she probed.
"I'm going to ask Scott Gaither for help."
Lisa smiled, "You aren't about to leave me out. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
30
Scott Gaither was sitting behind his desk when we walked into his office. He stopped writing and glanced at us.
"What is it with you two?" He put his pen down on the desk. "I can't go two hours without seeing the two of you."
"I want to talk to you, Scott."
Scott's face contorted with confusion and distrust. He looked to Lisa.
"Don't look at me," Lisa said, "I am just here for the show."
"Great," was Scott's response.
Lisa stood in the doorway and leaned against the frame. I sat down opposite Scott. His face was dripping with suspicion.
"I want to lay my cards on the table," I began. "Lisa has been attesting to your character, so I want to apologize if I have acted or treated you unfairly."
Scott's demeanor had obviously been stunned. He stared ahead in disbelief.
I continued, "I need your help. I...well, Lisa and I have done a bit of digging, but we have hit a few walls. So I had hoped that we could pool our resources."
"I see," Scott replied. "What is it I can do for you?"
"I just wanted to see that someone more official had the details we have uncovered, should something happen."
Scott nodded warily, "Okay, Sawyer, spill it."
And spill it, I did. I gave Scott a fairly detailed run down of everything that Lisa and I knew so far. Several times throughout my tale, Scott would interrupt to state that a particular piece of information was already a known fact. I wanted to smile, but instead I continued with the facts. The only tidbit that I forgot to tell Scott was Charlie Nichols unofficial involvement with Leigh Rozen. I only hoped that Lisa wouldn't speak up unexpectedly. She didn't. Scott absorbed it all. He tried not to show surprise about Paul Grace's connection. While I was sure that Scott had discovered Mark Lofton's unusual bank activity, he had, but I also was sure, not known the source of the money.
"That's pretty interesting," Scott commented. "What do you want from me?"
"All I really want is your assurance that Mandy Rawls is given fair treatment. That you will help me prove that she is innocent."
"Look, Max, I always liked Mandy. I didn't enjoy arresting her. I can even understand why she did it considering the circumstances. Unfortunately, she was standing over the body with the murder weapon at hand. She is the best suspect I have seen."
"Will you be looking into any other suspects now?"
"Given what you have told me, I can assure you that I will."
I smiled, "That's all I wanted in the first place."
Scott carried a pensive countenance, "Thanks a lot, Max."
"I do have one question, though. Perhaps you can help." I was ready to strike. Then I shot the question, "Did you ever trace the numbers that called in both murders?"
"I don't have anything on it," Scott said solemnly.
"C'mon Scott. I am sure you ran a check on the phone records. I was just curious if it was the same number. I was wondering if the number might be traced back to Cell Etc. or some other prepaid service."
Scott remained still. Then he said slowly, "I appreciate the details that you have given me, but I just can't share information from an active investigation. Sorry, Max."
"Don't sweat it. Thanks anyhow. I am sure that Mandy's attorney will be able to find out if it might help her."
"Probably so," Scott said.
I nodded and stood up. I offered my hand to Scott. He hesitated for a second, but then he shook it firmly. I was certain he was a bit confused by my sudden change of heart.
However, he was still quite friendlier than he had been. I knew that he didn't trust me. That was exactly what I wanted from him.
Scott warned me and Lisa about snooping around in his investigation. I simply promised to stay out of his way. He seemed content, but I knew he would be watching.
31
"Now what?" Lisa asked.
"Lunch. Then maybe some fishing?"
Lisa stopped on the sidewalk in front of the sheriff office. Her face twisted in confusion.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"We relax. I think we have hit a wall until something comes up, so we eat a nice lunch. Then you will probably go back to work unless I can talk you into going fishing with me."
"Alright," she said with exasperation, "I'm lost. Are we quitting?"
"No, in fact, I only know of a few small things we can check. So unless something big comes up we can take the rest of the day off."
"Something big? What just happened inside there?"
"Think about it. Do we have any leads?"
Lisa thought about it, "Sure we could find Jeff Thomas and ask him a few questions. See what he knows."
"Jeff Thomas is a thug. He might be too dumb to not kill us. Besides Scott should be able to track some of the money to him. The police will have better luck with him than we would."
"Are you trying to ditch me?" she asked.
"Not at all. I want to go fishing. I was thinking about finding John Mead to see if he could shed any light on Lofton."
"You are planning on ditching me, aren't you?"
"No, can you leave now? Or do you have some work to do?"
"I can shuffle some papers around and be through in about half an hour."
"Fine, let me go find John Mead. I will be back in half an hour to pick you up."
"You're buying lunch, right?" she asked.
"Of course."
Lisa finally accepted my offer.
"Great," I exclaimed, "I need someone to bait my hook. Worms make me squeamish."
Lisa laughed loudly.
32
While Lisa finished her work, I jumped on the horn to track down John Mead. I wanted to know about Lofton away from Mandy. Construction sites often lead to people bragging about different things. Everyone has to top the other guy’s tale, and if one guy has a girl, then the next needs to have two. Lofton may have let some secrets out during a bragging session.
I called Mead's office, and his secretary informed me that he was out in Chimney Rock working. Chimney Rock was a small isle in a wide patch of the river. It housed several of the most expensive homes in Barnes County. Many weekenders from Memphis or Little Rock kept nice houses there. My parents’ house was still there, sitting vacant.
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