by Debra Webb
No one said a word while the chief took a moment to catch his breath. What was there to say? The man was lying through his teeth.
“When Connie confronted Karl in his home with what she’d done,” the chief cleared his throat as if emotion had lodged there, “he was devastated and outraged. He was going to call the police. In a fit of rage, Connie killed him. She even said she’d tried to cover up what she’d done by wiping away her fingerprints.”
The chief shifted from foot to foot before he continued. “Since Ms. Kate got away before Connie could finish her off, we’re assuming she made her way home just before the police arrived on the scene. We figure Ms. Kate tried to save her husband. Got her prints all over the knife and blood all over herself. It’s possible she may have been forced to watch what this crazy woman had done to her son. I can see how that would push the poor thing over the edge. With her unresponsive and suspected of the crimes, Connie figured she was off the hook.”
Silence thickened in the room.
Paul restrained the urge to stand up and applaud. He’d never heard such well-rehearsed bullshit in his life.
“When you came back to town, Miss Jill, Connie was afraid you’d discover what she’d done, but she couldn’t bear the thought of killing anyone else. So she killed herself instead.”
How convenient. “And she left all this in a note?” Hell, why didn’t she just write a book. Sounded like a bestseller to him. It was assuredly all fiction.
“It was all there,” Dotson assured them. “Just the way I told it.” He cleared his throat again and turned his attention back to the ladies. “We also discovered Prozac in her medicine cabinet. This morning her personal physician confirmed she’d been coming to him for some time citing sleep and depression problems.”
Paul supposed her physician was a friend of Dotson’s and a lifelong resident of Paradise. But what he wanted was to see the body. No, he needed to see the body. “When can I see her?” he asked, standing now, anticipation surging through him, overriding any sense of decorum he’d pretended to possess. This had gone far enough. The chief and his cronies were getting away with murder again.
The chief looked confused. “See who?”
“Connie Neil.”
Astonishment claimed the older man’s features. “I’m afraid that’s impossible, Dr. Phillips.”
“And why is that, Chief Dotson?” One way or another he was going to stop this guy and whoever the hell else was in this with him.
Jill was standing now, evidently picking up on Paul’s agitation.
“Mrs. Neil asked that her daughter’s body be cremated. The crematorium from up near Nashville picked her up first thing this morning. There’ll be a service tomorrow afternoon. Under the circumstances, Mrs. Neil wants this nightmare behind her as soon as possible. Surely you can understand that.”
“The coroner didn’t request an autopsy?” How the hell had they gotten around that one? It was an unaccompanied death. An autopsy was standard operating procedure. Then again the coroner was probably in on this whole damned thing. Where did it end?
The chief adopted a look of incredulity and shook his head as if Paul had lost his mind. “There was no need. She left a suicide note. Swallowed her own pills. A blood test at the hospital verified what was in her system. There was no indication of a struggle or any other signs of foul play. There was absolutely no evidence to support recommending an autopsy. Why put the family through that nightmare? I don’t know how you big city fellas do business, but in Paradise we try to consider the feelings of the family as long as it doesn’t conflict with the law.”
“Chief,” Jill said quietly, a soul-deep pain in her voice.
He turned to her, his expression immediately turning compassionate. The chief was in the wrong business. He should be out in Hollywood. A muscle flexed annoyingly next to Paul’s right eye. It was all he could do to keep quiet... to restrain the urge to jerk the weapon from the chief’s utility belt and force him at gun point to tell the truth for once in his life.
“Since my sister is no longer under suspicion, is there any reason why we can’t have her moved to a private facility?”
The chief shook his head. “None at all. I’ve got my men working overtime to finish up all the final reports so we can close the books on this one for good.”
And therein lay the motive for Connie Neil’s murder. They needed a scapegoat. A way to tie up all of the loose ends into a neat little package and close the case. She may have done something at MedTech that put her in the cross hairs or she might simply have been handy and unlucky. The bottom line was: it was finished in the eyes of the law.
Then Jill would stop her investigation and go home. That was the goal.
The chief tucked his hat under his arm, moved to Jill’s side and took her hand in his. His expression of humility and compassion was so over done that Paul had to look away or laugh out loud.
“Miss Jill, Ms. Claire,” the chief shifted his attention down to the mother for a moment before continuing, “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that any bad light was shed on Ms. Kate for even a single moment. I promise you we were only doing our job and would never have suspected her in any capacity otherwise.”
Claire stood, swayed slightly until Jill steadied her. “I appreciate you coming in person to give us the news, Arvel. Thank you.”
“You are most welcome, Ms. Claire.” He took her hand in his and patted it kindly. “Miss Jill sure showed her mettle, didn’t she? She knew Ms. Kate was innocent all the time.” He beamed at Jill, then at Claire. “You should be very proud of her.”
Paul shook his head. Another perfect knot in the bow atop the flawless pre-packaged ending to the story. The chief had taken yet another step toward undoing the hurt Jill had suffered, with only one goal in mind—getting rid of her quickly and on an upbeat note.
“I appreciate your saying so, chief,” Jill said, a tremor in her voice.
God, don’t let her be fooled too. She was too smart to fall for this act.
“I wonder though,” Jill began suddenly, “why Connie didn’t simply leave town... cut her losses and disappear?” She said the words quietly, without accusation, like a thought voiced for her own ears to analyze. She frowned, evaluating the theory. “It seems odd that she didn’t consider the possibility that Kate might recover. So many days went by without reaction.” Jill looked at the chief. “Doesn’t that strike you as strange, chief? Maybe you should have ordered an autopsy.”
Good girl. Paul kept the smile that wanted to emerge carefully tucked away.
“Well, Miss Jill,” the chief scrubbed a hand over his chin “I see what you mean, but we have to remember that we aren’t dealing with someone like you or me. Connie Neil was clearly unstable, mentally speaking.”
“You think she set the fire at Kate’s house too?” Paul suggested. “I mean, why not just be rid of the problem altogether. Maybe she tampered with the brakes of the car Jill was driving just the other day. With Jill out of the way and her sister mentally incapacitated, Connie would be home free? You think she killed herself because she failed in all those murder attempts? I mean, a person can only take so much failure.”
The color drained from the chief’s face. “Who said the brakes on Miss Ellington’s car had been tampered with?” he demanded. “I haven’t been informed of any such thing! Why would Connie have suspected Jill was on to anything? There was nothing at the house that incriminated her.”
Why, indeed.
“The fact is we think the fire at the Manning’s house is related to a couple of other incidents that were reported during the wee hours of this very morning.”
“What incidents?” Paul’s instincts sent up a warning.
“Well, I don’t have all the details, but I can tell you that MedTech’s security was breached early this morning, there were some retired research files stolen. If that wasn’t bad enough, a clinic over in Tullahoma was burned to the ground.” He heaved a big breath. “The chief over there thin
ks it might all be related to pro-life. Apparently a rumor went around that abortions were being performed at the clinic and we all know that MedTech was licensed for cloning research.”
Tension nested like a rock in Paul’s gut. They were in housekeeping mode already. He wasn’t going to be fast enough. Defeat dragged at his confidence. Still, there were the files in the Manning home. Or were those taken care of already too?
“The forensics techs might find something the others missed at the crime scene when they go through the Manning house,” Paul suggested, blatantly alluding to the files in the self-contained, no doubt fireproof basement.
Something sinister glittered in the chief’s eyes. “Oh, didn’t you hear, Dr. Phillips? They aren’t going to find a thing in the Manning house. That whole end of the block blew up last night. I told you there were some strange things going on last night. I guess it was the full moon.”
Paul couldn’t keep the surprise from his face or the ice from sliding through his veins. “There was an explosion?”
The image of all those files, of all that research—research eerily similar to that done by another monster during the days of Hitler’s regime—being obliterated bloomed then expanded to fill his mind’s eye. All those damaged and dead children from Auschwitz. Like the damaged and dead in Paradise. Fury melted away the ice chilling Paul’s blood. It would not end here. He would find a way to prove what Karl Manning had done. But he had to act before any more evidence was destroyed. He might have to drag Cuddahy and the Bureau into this sooner than he’d anticipated.
“That’s right, you two had already gone by then,” the chief said innocently. “There was a natural gas leak. We had to evacuate all of High Point. The explosion shook the whole mountain.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Jill wanted to know.
“Fortunately, no,” the chief assured her. “Everyone was clear when the blast occurred. My men did a hell of a job keeping folks safe.” He puffed out his chest. “Well, I’ll be on my way, ladies. As sorry as I am for the Neil family, I’m sure glad I could deliver the news about Ms. Kate. I know you’re relieved that’s behind you.” His gaze lingered on Jill for a moment. “I’m certain you’re anxious to get back to Jackson.”
She only smiled, but it wasn’t her usual pleasant one. It was brittle... forced. “I do have a job to get back to.”
Paul wasn’t through with the chief just yet. “One final question,” he said, drawing the chief’s attention back to him before he could escape.
“If I can answer it, I surely will,” Dotson said congenially. He was certain he owned this round.
“Why didn’t the smoke detectors work in the Manning home? We had no warning at all that a fire had started and I know detectors were in place. I saw them.”
A broad, knowing smile split the chief’s face. “Why that’s elementary, son,” he said, visibly struggling to hold back a grin. “The smoke detectors in the Manning home were tied in with the alarm system. That’s how the police were summoned to the house the day they found the body. The alarm had tripped and the first officer on the scene couldn’t shut it off. The alarm company shut down the whole system to facilitate our investigation over the next few days.”
“Even the smoke detectors?” Paul wasn’t convinced.
“Even the smoke detectors. Now, if you have any other questions just let me know.” The chief tipped his head to the ladies and left without another glance in Paul’s direction.
Paul had only one more question that pertained to the Manning house but he had no intention of asking the chief. Who set the alarm so that it would go off when Kate arrived home to find her husband’s body? Karl Manning was dead when his killer left him, if one went with the chief’s theory. Assuming that to be the case, who rearmed the alarm so that Kate’s arrival triggered it? Thus summoning the police. Maybe the killer got in and out so fast the triggered alarm was of no consequence. Didn’t speak well for the local cops. And there was still the question as to why the chief hadn’t issued an Amber Alert on Cody as he claimed.
The chief may have won this round, but the game was far from over.
“I’m calling the doctor to see what kind of arrangements he would suggest for Kate,” Claire Ellington announced, relief wreathing her face.
Jill watched her mother leave the room and had to remind herself that the woman who’d just taken the lead on a matter, any matter, was her mother. Maybe leaving the house for the service had finally broken down the barrier of self-imposed exile. All that time her mother had claimed to be agoraphobic was obviously just her way of hiding from reality. With all that she now knew and suspected, Jill could scarcely blame her. She closed her eyes and forced the chief’s words from her mind. She would not believe the things he’d said about Connie. No matter how odd Connie had behaved after Jill mentioned the investigation she knew her friend couldn’t have done all those things any more than Kate could have. It was insane. And Cody was alive, dammit. She refused to believe anything else.
“You understand what they’ve done, don’t you?”
Paul’s deep voice brushed over her nerve endings. Reminded her she wasn’t alone in this. “I’m not sure I want to think at all right now.”
“That’s the goal, Jill. Make it all so complicated and painful that it’s easier to look away.”
He was tense, his voice clipped. She searched his face, attempted unsuccessfully to read him. “Can’t I have just one moment of peace before I face reality?” She was so tired. If only she hadn’t missed that call maybe Connie would still be alive.
“Your friend is dead because they needed a patsy. They’ve sewn everything up nice and tight in hopes you’ll walk away. Is that what you plan to do?”
She closed her eyes and thought of her friend. Of the vibrant young woman Connie had been. She thought of her nephew and all the other children caught up in this nightmare. Then she thought of her father. He would never have walked away from something he believed in. That was the one thing that gave her comfort in all this—her father could not possibly have been involved. Maybe her mother knew certain things—God knew she’d been behaving strangely. But there was no way the Judge had any hand in this.
“No,” she said in answer to Paul’s question. “I want to know how all this happened and I want to stop it from happening to anyone else. And I want to find my nephew and bring him home. I can’t do that unless we stop these monsters.” She looked up at Paul again, into that face that was so familiar and dear to her now. “You think the clinic in Tullahoma had anything to do with MedTech or Karl Manning?”
“I know it did.”
“How do you know?”
“That’s the clinic Sarah Long used. I asked her.”
No further explanation was needed. Sarah’s son had to be Cody’s twin. It was the only possible explanation.
Well... except for cloning and Jill just wasn’t ready to go there yet. Animals were one thing. But humans... she refused to consider the possibility. Somewhere in the recesses of her brain, a part of her knew it was more than simply possible.
“Jill,” her mother called from the entry hall. “There’s a call for you.”
“Coming.” She glanced at Paul, wondered how he planned to proceed. “Don’t go anywhere without me.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.”
The ghost of a smile that lingered around his mouth made her want to throw herself into his arms and just close out the world for a little while. Soon, she hoped.
In the front hall, Claire passed her the phone. “Thank you.” Jill didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID. “Hello.”
“Jill?”
“This is Jill. Who’s this?”
“Kelly Neil.”
Jill’s heart fluttered painfully. Connie’s younger sister. “Kelly, I’m so sorry about Connie.”
“I don’t….” Pain echoed in her voice. “I don’t have much time. I need to meet with you some place away from here. It’s important I talk to you but it can’t be here.
It’s about my sister and her memorial service.”
A surge of adrenaline burned through Jill. “Just tell me where and when, I’ll be there.”
A shaky exhale. “Go to Winchester. There’s a restaurant, Rafael’s, next to Walmart. One hour.”
The call ended.
Jill hit the off button and placed the phone on the hall table. She wasn’t sure she believed that Kelly wanted to talk about the service. But whatever it was, it was urgent. The possibility that Kelly knew something that pertained to the investigation set Jill’s nerves on edge. Then again, maybe she blamed Jill for Connie’s death. Jill’s heart ached. When would this end?
“Anything important?”
Jill jumped, startled. Her hand flew to her chest. “You scared me half to death.”
Paul lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “I scared you or the call scared you?”
He was a mind reader, whether he admitted it or not. “The call was unsettling, yes.”
He reached out traced the line of her cheek with one finger, sending warmth flooding through her. But it was those dark, dark eyes that lit a fire in her belly. God, how could he have that much power over her? That he could heat her skin with just a look... just a touch... despite all that had happened.
“Are you going to tell me who it was?”
“Kelly Neil, Connie’s younger sister. She wants to meet.”
Paul’s posture changed. His gaze grew guarded. “Did she say what this was about?”
“Connie’s service but I don’t believe that’s what it’s about.” Jill swallowed the lump of emotion welling in the back of her throat. “She said it was important. She sounded nervous.”