Firebreak: A Mystery

by Tricia Fields

  Josie thought through the timing with what Turner had given her from the surveillance tapes. The tape showed them entering the convenience store at nine thirty that night. If they left from the Hell-Bent at six thirty, they could have made the drive in three hours. Then she remembered the watch face that established his time of death.

  “It still doesn’t work,” she said. “Ferris Sinclair’s body was burned at seven thirty-eight. It wouldn’t take that long for the house to burn if Billy started the fire at six.”

  Hank shut his eyes briefly, as if not wanting to go on. “Billy said he moved the clocks forward in the house, as well as the watch on Ferris. He got the idea from some cop show he saw on TV.”

  Josie tried to keep the shock from her expression. It was a side of Billy she would never have expected.

  Otto continued the questioning. “Why did he go back if Ferris was already dead?”

  “He told me he wanted to make it look like Ferris overdosed on heroin and died in the fire. He wanted to make sure the house burned from the wildfire. He wanted Ferris’s death to look accidental, and in his mind, the fire was the solution.” Hank considered Josie for a minute. “You have to know Billy. People have this image of him as a tough guy, but he wasn’t. He was sad and confused. He told me once that every time he got on stage he worried somebody in the crowd would point him out as a fake. Bands like the Calloway Boys unstrung Billy. He knew that musically they were better than him, and it ate him up inside. Then Ferris came along and really screwed him over. His life just got all out of whack.”

  “So when Billy called you drunk the other night and asked you to bring pills?”

  “I did what he asked me to do. He wanted to end the mess he’d made of his life. I did what a true friend would do. I helped him end his misery.” Hank paused and stared at Josie. His expression was frustrated, as if he wanted her to understand his reasoning. When Josie didn’t respond he continued.

  “Billy’s whole life was unraveling. He called me earlier that night when I was working at the bar. Check his phone records. He said he needed something to get him through the next few days. I bought a bag of pills from a girl at the bar. I wasn’t even planning on giving them to him unless he called again. When he called from the park I went over there to talk to him and he told me everything. He’d screwed up Brenda’s life, Ferris was dead, he was convinced he had HIV and he would destroy his band’s chance of making it to Nashville. He’d be back working at the sewage-treatment plant as a pariah. The hometown hero who exploded into pieces and hurt everyone else around him.”

  “Why didn’t you stop Billy? Try to get him some help?”

  Hank put a hand to his forehead and laughed. He finally looked at Josie, his expression incredulous. “Are you not listening to me? He wasn’t worried about helping himself. He was worried about cleaning up the mess he’d made of everyone else’s life. This was the only way he could make things right for Brenda. The only way that he could show her that he still loved her and cared about her. With him and Ferris gone from her life, Brenda could reconnect with her family and move back to Nashville. Manage some other country singer. Hopefully find happiness again someday.”

  Josie listened to Hank’s explanation and wondered if Hank truly bought into Billy’s delusional reasoning.

  “Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Otto asked.

  “What, so you could call me a murderer? Look. Billy was a friend. He asked me for the ultimate act of friendship, and I gave it. I don’t expect you to understand that, but that’s how I see it.”

  Josie told Hank that they needed to make a phone call, and she and Otto left the interrogation room. She opened the door that led into the observation room so she and Otto could talk.

  Josie took the seat across from him and saw his angry expression. He’d disguised it well in front of Hank.

  “We have two dead bodies and no charges to file,” he said.

  “Withholding information. Buying prescription pills. That’s about it.”

  Otto’s face was flushed red in anger. “It’s manslaughter in my book. Or at least assisted suicide, and that’s illegal in the state of Texas.”

  “We don’t prosecute the guy who sells the gun or a knife to the person who shoots himself or slashes his wrist. No prosecutor would take this on. Billy drank the whiskey and popped the pills. Cowan stated suicide in the autopsy.”

  Otto muttered something and looked down at the floor. He seemed ready to let it drop, so Josie changed subjects.

  “Is Brenda here?” she asked.

  Otto nodded. “She’s in the sheriff’s conference room. Turner may have left. She said she’d give us fifteen minutes and then she was leaving. We better get in there before we lose her for sure.”

  “You ready?” she asked.

  “Let’s do it.”

  * * *

  They found Brenda and Turner sitting next to each other at the conference table. The nondescript room had bright white walls and a dozen chairs around a large conference table. The room was used by the sheriff for department trainings and for interrogations when the other rooms at the jail were full. When Josie and Otto entered, Brenda and Turner both became quiet.

  “A little courtesy with the scheduling would have been nice, Chief. Next time, call me when you’re ready,” Turner said.

  Josie ignored her comment and thanked the women for coming. She started her digital recorder with no additional complaints from Turner.

  “We’ve gathered quite a bit of information over the past twenty-four hours,” Josie said. “Hank Wild admitted to giving Billy the pills that he combined with the whiskey to commit suicide.”

  Brenda’s expression changed from anticipation to confusion. “I don’t believe that.”

  “He admitted it. We know who he bought the pills from. And a witness identified his truck at the park the night Billy died.”

  Her mouth fell open and she appeared unable to speak.

  Josie chose a soft tone for the harsh words she was about to deliver. “I think you know why Billy committed suicide.”

  “What?”

  Josie glanced at Turner, who was intently watching her client’s expressions.

  “The day of the evacuation, you went to town so that Billy could end his relationship with Ferris at your house. When Ferris started throwing threats around about ending Billy’s career, Billy killed Ferris. Used your stun gun and then suffocated him to death. Staged his body on the couch.”

  Brenda broke in, her face horrified. “No!”

  “You came home to pick Billy up so you could leave for Austin.”

  Brenda shook her head, her eyes frantic.

  “Billy made a public appearance, talked to Angela, and established a time frame. Then he drove home, dumped kerosene on the front of the house, and set fire to your home. He moved the clocks forward an hour to give you time to get out of town. He drove back to the Hell-Bent to pick you up and leave for Austin.”

  “No! Why are you saying this?”

  “Billy confessed all of this to Hank before he drank himself to death.”

  Turner’s jaw clenched so tight Josie thought she might break teeth. She stared at Brenda, who obviously hadn’t told any of this to her attorney. It was a bombshell, and Josie was surprised Turner hadn’t called a halt to the questioning.

  Brenda began crying and placed her face in her hands. Turner glanced at Josie without a word. She stood, grabbed a handful of tissues out of her purse, and laid them in front of her client.

  Josie had brought a bottle of water into the room with her. She opened the top and slid it across the table toward Brenda. “You had to have known something, Brenda. Your husband killed a man he supposedly cared a great deal about. He set your house on fire, then an hour later rode all the way to Austin with you. You had to know something had happened.”

  Brenda finally got herself in control and blew her nose. She drank water and poured some of it on a tissue and dabbed the cold water against her swollen eye
s. “I swear I didn’t know any of this. I knew something was wrong. Billy was acting strange. He hadn’t slept in days. He was a nervous wreck.” She took a ragged breath and looked from Turner to Josie, her expression filled with shame. “I thought he was having an affair with Ferris. I thought he was sneaking off at night to meet him. The night Billy got up and left me the note, the night he died?” She clenched her hands into fists in her lap, her face in anguish. “I thought he left the hotel to meet Ferris somewhere. I never dreamt he would kill himself.” She broke down into sobs again.

  While Josie and Otto waited for Brenda to regain control, the head of intake officer Maria Santiago appeared at the window in the door. She motioned them out into the hallway. Turner was bent over Brenda, talking into her ear, and didn’t seem to notice as they walked out.

  Maria said, “I’m sorry to interrupt you. Cowan asked me to call you out. He’d like for you to go down to his office.”

  “It can’t wait?”

  “He just said he has information you’ll want.”

  Josie thanked Maria and opened the door to the conference room. She looked at Turner and said, “I need ten minutes.”

  Turner frowned and nodded once, and Josie shut the door.

  Josie and Otto walked back through the central hub and Maria buzzed them into the hallway that led to the coroner’s office. Cowan opened the door and apologized for pulling them away from the interrogation.

  “I don’t know that this is relevant to your questioning, but I felt I would be remiss by not telling you right away.”

  “We’ll take anything you can give us. What do you have?” Josie asked.

  “I received a package today, airmail.” He held up the FedEx envelope. “It’s from the lab that processed the syringe that the fire marshal found under the Nixes’ couch.”

  Josie nodded.

  “If you’ll remember, I wasn’t there when they found the syringe, so I had no idea what they were shipping off.”

  Josie nodded. Once the autopsy was complete, there had been no reason to consult with Cowan before sending the syringe off to the lab.

  “As you know, the results from toxicology came up with nothing. When I opened the package that contained the actual syringe I realized this type needle isn’t for IV drug use. It’s a blunt-tip needle. It’s a specialized needle used for surgeries.”

  Cowan motioned for Josie and Otto to approach the counter where he had a large lighted magnifier on a stand. He held two similar-looking syringes under the magnifier, and Josie and Otto both leaned in to examine the ends of the needles. The ends were slightly different, with one obviously sharper, the other rounded.

  “A needle typically has a beveled tip to make the sharp ending that allows it to penetrate skin without causing a hole and excessive bleeding. This blunt tip is something a surgeon might use for sutures. It helps prevent needle-stick injuries to blood vessels, so it’s a pretty specialized needle. It’s not something somebody shooting up heroin would use.”

  Josie raised her eyebrows to Cowan. “Nice work.”

  He tipped his head at her. “Thank you.”

  “Would it be possible to track down a syringe like this? As in, would a local vet use it, or a medical doctor at the trauma center? We could search it on the Internet by brand?” Otto asked.

  “I suspect this is used by a vet, but I’m not sure. I’d try Doc Hammond first. He’ll be able to tell you if it’s associated with animals or humans.”

  “Thanks, Cowan. We owe you one.”

  He placed his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and leaned back to study Josie. “And what exactly is the ‘one’ that you keep owing me? At some point I’d like to cash in.”

  “She stockpiles her ones,” Otto said. “I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

  As Josie and Otto made their way back to the interrogation room, she asked, “What’s the syringe mean for the case? For Brenda and Hank?”

  “It confirms Hank’s comment that Billy went back to the house to set it on fire and make it look like Ferris died of an overdose.”

  Josie nodded. “The Nixes didn’t have animals. I wonder what Billy was doing with a blunt-tip needle?”

  After Maria had buzzed them back through to the interrogation rooms they stopped before entering. Otto said, “What now? We let both of them go? Hank and Brenda both?”

  “Let’s watch Hank for the next couple days. There’s pieces to this that don’t feel right.”

  “Like what?” he said.

  “Like spinning back the clocks based on some cop show. That sounded pretty lame to me. And the inconsistencies between Hank’s version and Brenda’s. I want to know why Hank made it sound like Ferris has been at their house off and on for quite a while. Brenda has made a big deal about Ferris never staying at their house. Remember she said they didn’t run a flophouse?”

  “All right. I’ll cut Hank free and you finish up with her.”

  * * *

  When Josie entered the conference room the vibe was considerably different. Turner had lost her hard edge and had taken on a thoughtful look. Josie wondered what secrets Brenda had confided to her attorney.

  Josie sat down across from Brenda and said, “Let’s go back to the drive to Austin.”

  “What about it?”

  “Tell me about your trip back to the house to pick up Billy before you went to the Hell-Bent.”

  “There’s nothing really to tell. I pulled up in the driveway and Billy came outside and we left.”

  “You didn’t walk into the house?” Josie asked. And see a dead man lying on your couch, Josie thought.

  “No.”

  “What did Billy tell you when he got into the car?”

  She looked confused. “About what?”

  “He’d just killed a man. He didn’t explain anything to you?”

  “Of course not! I didn’t know anything about it. He was a mess. I drove. He just laid down in the backseat and slept.”

  Josie narrowed her eyes. “You say things like that, Brenda, and it makes me not believe you. If you’d just tell the truth, you’d be so much better off in the end.”

  “I don’t know what you’re implying, but I don’t like your tone of voice.”

  Josie nodded. “Okay. Here’s the problem. Hank explained to us that you went into town so Billy could end the relationship with Ferris. The same man who had basically destroyed your life. Billy ends the relationship, and he gets in the car and doesn’t explain anything to you? He just lays down in the backseat and takes a thirty-minute nap on the drive to the Hell-Bent? You didn’t ask him how the conversation went? You didn’t ask him how Ferris took the news? Because I’m sure you were worried that Ferris would tell the world Billy was gay. That he would blackmail you and your husband. I think you had a lot to discuss on the drive to the Hell-Bent.”

  Brenda looked like a cat trapped in the corner of a room, with her eyes wide and her body tense. “He may have ended things with Ferris, but he never said anything to me.”

  Turner raised both her hands in the air to indicate that her response made perfect sense.

  “Come on, Brenda. He’s your husband. You got no sense that something went bad?”

  Brenda glared at Josie. “None.”

  Turner held a hand up. “Okay, Chief, I think we’re done here. You’ve put this woman through enough hell for one day. Don’t bother calling us again until you have something worth coming in for.”

  Josie said nothing. Worth coming in for, she thought. Brenda had just discovered that one of her closest friends helped her husband commit suicide after her husband killed his lover. If that wasn’t worth coming in for, Josie couldn’t imagine what would be.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Tuesday morning, before leaving for work, Josie opened her freezer to scout out the contents. She found one package of freezer-burnt chicken, and hamburger patties that were an odd shade of purple. If Nick was going to cook supper that night he’d have to bring something with him. She sent a quick tex
t that read: Looking forward to dinner! Please bring meat or we’ll have to eat canned corn. It wasn’t very accommodating, but she hoped things were about to break open on the case, and grocery shopping wasn’t on her to-do list for the afternoon.

  Josie and Otto started the day at their office conference table to talk through the details of the investigation one more time. She felt like the key players were in place, but they hadn’t made the right connections yet.

  “What bothers you the most about the case?” she asked.

  “Why would Billy confess all of those details to Hank?” Otto said.

  “Because he felt guilty. Because he was drunk.”

  Otto looked skeptical. “Billy was beyond drunk. Comatose comes to mind. Does someone that drunk have the mental capacity to remember the kind of details Hank told us about? Turning the clocks forward? Why would Billy share that?”

  Josie nodded. “That one got me too. Especially if it was a crime of passion.”

  “And I just don’t see Billy as that calculating. He supposedly cared for Ferris to the point he put his marriage and career in serious jeopardy,” he said.

  “The story Hank told us was of a person who had decided to end a longtime affair, and then got into a fight that turned deadly.”

  “But planting a syringe, turning the clocks ahead, setting his house on fire, getting the timeline just right? Those are calculated moves,” Otto said. “Those aren’t the actions of someone caught up in an argument that turns deadly.”

  “Agreed. And I still have a problem with the inconsistencies between Hank’s story and Brenda’s. In the beginning, Brenda told us Ferris wasn’t staying at their house. Then she changed her story somewhat. She said Billy had told Ferris they were leaving because of the evacuation. She knew Ferris was at their home and Billy was talking to him.”

  “How did Ferris get there?”

  “Hank said Ferris was going to take the Nixes’ pickup truck. My guess is, he’d been staying there, maybe a few days. Why did she keep saying he never stayed at their house?”