Death by Auction

by Alexis Morgan

  “Please do.”

  When he was gone, she sagged against the doorframe and petted Zeke. Tripp wandered into the entry, silently watching Denny get into his truck and then drive away.

  “I wish I could believe he was guilty, but I don’t.”

  She couldn’t disagree with his assessment. Tripp looked down at her, his expression bleak. “I’m actually surprised he told us as much as he did, considering he didn’t know either one of us before today.”

  Her stomach hurt a little from the confrontation with Denny and also knowing how all of this was affecting Tripp. She wanted to hug him but wasn’t sure he’d let her right now. “Yeah, it was likely on his mind, anyway. I know he said we were the ones to stir up all those ugly memories, but I think it was Bryce who did that just by coming to town. Regardless, I think Denny might have a few ‘what might have been’ regrets going on, but he strikes me as a man who is happy with the life he built and wouldn’t change how things turned out even if he could.”

  Tripp mirrored her stance, leaning against the other side of the doorway. “Lucky him, but where does that leave us? More importantly, where does that leave Valerie?”

  They both knew the answer to that last question. It left her in a cell facing a charge of first-degree murder.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  In the aftermath of their discussion with Denny Moller, neither Abby nor Tripp was in the mood to discuss the case anymore. He went outside to work off some of his frustration on the blackberries that were staging a comeback in the backyard. Zeke decided to hang out with him for a while, probably sensing that Tripp was the one who could use his undemanding company.

  Meanwhile, Abby had a major meeting to prepare for, something she should have already been working on. The executive board for the veterans group was meeting in the morning to go over the final plans back at the hall where the dance would be held. Afterward, a group of volunteers were going to start decorating the place, transforming the room to look like a World War II–era USO. While she hadn’t exactly forgotten about the meeting or the dance, neither of those things seemed all that important right now.

  No, she couldn’t afford to think that way. Regardless of Valerie’s problems, it wouldn’t do to forget the reason they were holding the dance in the first place. The veterans group was depending on the proceeds from the auction and dance to fund a lot of great programs.

  Abby booted up her laptop. Luckily, she’d already done a rough draft of the agenda for the meeting, so it needed only a quick polish. After that, she needed to write up the to-do lists for the various committee chairs to make sure they were all on the same page about what was left to be done before the night of the dance rolled around. She was just finalizing the agenda when Tripp reappeared in the doorway. “Hi, what’s up?”

  He gave her a hopeful look. “I got a call from Valerie’s attorney. They’re transferring her to the county jail either tonight or early in the morning because they’ve scheduled a bail hearing at the courthouse. He wanted to know if she can still stay here if he convinces them to let her out. Evidently that’s questionable since the D.A.’s office is making noise about her being a flight risk since she lives in California.”

  For Tripp’s sake, Abby didn’t hesitate. “Sure thing. I don’t see why not. Will they need me to be there? Because that would be a problem. The dance committee is meeting tomorrow, and I have some errands I really need to run.”

  “I’ll call him back and ask. Maybe it’s enough that I’ll be there for her.”

  Abby ignored the small twinge of what she was afraid was jealousy. Of course Tripp would want to be there for Valerie. It would’ve been more shocking if he didn’t. At least Abby could make it as easy for him as possible. “Give the attorney my number in case he has questions. If it turns out I need to sign something, have him let me know the particulars. I’ll do my best to get it taken care of as fast as possible.”

  “Thanks, Abs. I knew I could count on you.”

  He disappeared back down the hall toward the kitchen, and Abby forced herself to get right back to work. It wasn’t long before Tripp was back still talking on the phone. “Okay, I’ll let her know, and I’ll see you at the courthouse in the morning.”

  He hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket. “He said the prosecutor’s office may call you to verify that it’s all right if Valerie comes back here to stay. They also might put one of those stupid ankle bracelets on her, the kind that keep track of someone’s movements.”

  Abby could imagine just how much Valerie would love that. On the other hand, it would be a vast improvement over staying behind bars. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they decide to be reasonable about things.”

  She half expected him to leave again, but he remained standing in front of her, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again. “Was there something else, Tripp?”

  “Look, I know you’re busy and everything. Heck, I should be back at the house doing laundry and homework myself, but I’m too restless right now to do anything useful. I was wondering if you’d like to go shoot pool or something. I’ll understand if you’ve got things to do.”

  Her own mood immediately brightened. “Will you buy me another burger at the bar?”

  He grinned. “I’ll even throw in a beer and some onion rings, too.”

  She didn’t hesitate. “It’s a deal, but I need to finish up here and do a couple of other things. Give me an hour.”

  “You got it.”

  Looking much happier, he headed for the door. Glad she was able to do something to help him out, she called after him, “Just so you know, the loser buys.”

  He snickered. “Bring lots of money then.”

  She could still hear him laughing after he walked out the door.

  * * *

  Abby picked up her last French fry and offered it to Tripp. He ate it and washed it down with the last of his beer. Then he nodded toward the other side of the room.

  “Looks like a table is opening up.”

  She glanced over to where a couple of guys were putting their cues back up on the rack behind the pool table. Without waiting for her to respond, Tripp was already out of the booth and heading over to stake their claim, leaving her to follow after him. He quickly had the table set and ready to go.

  Chalking the tip of his cue, he asked, “Let’s play eight ball. Do I need to explain the rules?”

  When she shook her head, he asked, “Do you want to go first? I’ll even spot you a couple of balls.”

  She checked several cues before deciding on one and then offered him an innocent smile. “I wouldn’t want to take advantage of you like that. Why don’t you show me how it’s done?”

  Abby stepped back against the wall to give him room to maneuver. Explaining what he was doing as he moved around the table, he managed to put three solid colored balls away before missing a shot. “Your turn. Let me know if you want any advice on how to line up a shot.”

  She ignored him as she studied her choices. Okay, this was going to be fun. After walking around to the other side, she sent one ball after another flying across the table to disappear into the pockets. After clearing the last striped ball, she calmly took her last shot, dropping the nine ball in the corner pocket. Without saying a word, she racked the balls. Tripp stood there watching with his mouth hanging open while she lined up the cue ball to break. “Want to go best two out of three to decide who buys the next round?”

  He nodded and muttered something unflattering about pool sharks. She laughed and took her shot. When she finally missed and surrendered control of the table back to him, she couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. “Did you think big bad soldier boys were the only ones who knew how to play?”

  He tossed the chalk at her. “How many poor guys have you fleeced out of their beer money over the years?”

  “Enough that eventually I had trouble finding someone willing to play me. I haven’t actually picked up a cue since college, so I’m a bit rusty.�
�

  He snorted at that statement. “If that’s true, I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford playing against you when you’re back in top form.”

  She patted him on the arm. “Don’t worry, big guy. I can always spot you a few points.”

  “There goes that mean streak of yours again, Abby. I don’t know how you keep your reputation for being all nice and helpful.”

  “Remember I’m sneaky, too.”

  “You are that.”

  Then he made a bank shot to sink his first ball in the side pocket. Looking pretty proud of himself, he moved around to the other side of the table to line up another shot. Experience had taught her that some men, her ex-husband included, didn’t like losing to a woman. Tripp, on the other hand, clearly enjoyed the challenge of playing someone who was as good or maybe even better than he was. For her part, Abby didn’t care if she ended up buying every round of drinks if it meant Tripp could shed his worries about Valerie long enough to enjoy himself.

  * * *

  They were about to start another round of games when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. “Tripp, Gage is headed this way.”

  He kept his attention on the table as he asked, “Is he in uniform?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Does he look ticked off?”

  She risked another quick look in Gage’s direction. “It’s hard to tell. Why? Do you think Denny ratted us out to him?”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  Any concerns Tripp had over Gage’s mood or reason for being there didn’t affect his shot. He quickly sank the nine ball, winning the game. She decided to wait until Gage reached them before heading over to the bar to order the next round.

  Gage stopped to talk to a couple of people on his way through the crowd. By the time he finally reached them, she was on pins and needles. Tripp nudged her. “Try not to look so guilty. Even if Denny didn’t snitch on us, Gage will suspect you’ve been up to something. If you need something to do, set up our next game.”

  She promptly dropped the first ball she picked up, sending it rolling across the floor. Tripp chased it down and brought it back to her. “Calm down, Abby. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  She muttered, “We could end up in the slammer and living on Jean’s tuna casseroles.”

  “Look on the bright side. They’re better than eating roasted rats.”

  Before she could decide if Tripp was teasing or speaking from experience, Gage finally reached their little corner of the bar. She pasted a smile on her face. “Hi, Gage. I was just heading over to buy our next round. Can I get you anything?”

  “Sorry, I’m on duty.”

  “I’ve already switched to soft drinks since beer adversely affects my game. Tripp, on the other hand, mysteriously gets better after a few cold ones.”

  Gage didn’t look surprised. “He’s had years of practice. But I’ll take a cola if you’re buying. While you’re at it, can you put in an order for a burger and fries for me?”

  “Will do.”

  The bartender saw her coming and already had Tripp’s beer waiting. She showed him her empty glass and held up two fingers. By the time she reached the bar, he had her order ready for her. She had him add the drinks and Gage’s meal to their bar tab and then paid the bill. Although she and Tripp were still having fun, she had a feeling they’d be leaving soon. The only question was if they would be headed for home or that jail cell that had been haunting her dreams lately.

  When she turned back toward where she’d left the two men, they were nowhere in sight, and someone else had taken over the pool table. She finally spotted Tripp standing near a booth along the back wall. As soon as he knew she’d seen him, he sat down across from Gage. She set the drinks down on the table and slid in next to Tripp. “So, Gage, is this where you usually eat when you’re on duty?”

  “Sometimes. I like to check in with the owner once in a while to see if there’s been any trouble I should know about. Tonight, though, I spotted Tripp’s truck out in the lot and thought I’d see if he and the guys had a game going.”

  He gave her a long look. “He was just warning me about your mad pool skills. Seems you’ve taken him for a few drinks tonight. He suggested I bring extra cash if I ever pit my skills against yours.”

  She was feeling pretty proud of herself. “Don’t worry, Gage. I’d go easy on you for the first round. After that, it’s everybody for themselves.”

  “Good to know.”

  Then his smile faded as he looked at Tripp. “I hear Ms. Brunn’s bail hearing is tomorrow morning.”

  “Yeah, I’m meeting her attorney there. Abby has already said that Valerie can come back to the house once all the paperwork is signed.”

  If anything, Gage looked even more grim. Had something happened that made it unlikely that Valerie would be getting out anytime soon? Abby tightened her grip on her glass, hoping against hope she was wrong. She wasn’t the only one who was sensing a storm on the horizon. Tripp set his beer back down on the table with exaggerated care. “What’s happened now?”

  “It’s not good, Tripp. We just learned Bryce Cadigan had applied for a restraining order against not just Becca Brunn, but Valerie as well. Becca allegedly vandalized Bryce’s car, and Valerie made a bunch of threatening calls when he reported her sister to the police.”

  Tripp slammed his beer down on the table. “But he was the one blackmailing—”

  Gage cut him off. “I know, Tripp, and so does the D.A. Here’s the thing, though. Bryce also recorded his phone calls. Your ex-wife didn’t sound exactly sane when she was screaming at him, and she made some pretty ugly threats while she was at it.”

  Abby wrapped her hand around Tripp’s arm and leaned her head against his shoulder, hoping the connection would help him control his temper. While she was at it, she drew Gage’s attention back in her direction. “So if you’ve figured out that Bryce was a sleezy jerk, you have to figure Becca wasn’t the first one he’s blackmailed. Surely there are other people who had strong motives for wanting him dead.”

  “We’re looking into that, but we haven’t found anyone else who was at the auction that night who had a recent grudge against him. Considering Valerie came all the way from California that night to confront Bryce, she was pretty strongly motivated to end the threat to her sister.”

  Now Abby was the one getting mad. “We both know there are other people right here in town who had problems with him—Gil Pratt and his brother, Denny Moller, and maybe even Robin Alstead.”

  Gage sighed. “We’ve already talked to Gil and Denny, but what do you know about Robin Alstead that I don’t?”

  She felt bad about trying to throw both Denny and Gil under the bus, but her first loyalty was to Tripp. As far as the former teacher went, she’d yet to learn anything concrete about the woman’s past relationship with Bryce other than he’d been in her class.

  She settled for simply saying, “I just think there was something off about the way she acted when he talked to her at the auction. She was the only person in the whole place who broke down and cried when she learned he was dead; but when I talked to her, she acted as if he was just one of all the hundreds of students she’d had over the years.”

  “I can’t arrest someone for crying, Abby.” Gage leaned forward, elbows on the table to stare right into her eyes. “For the last time, I’m telling you to stay out of my case. You know Ben and I won’t stop looking until we get to the truth. Hopefully Valerie will make bail and stay with the two of you until we do.”

  He met Tripp’s gaze head-on. “The only reason I told you about the restraining order and recordings is that I didn’t want you to get blindsided tomorrow if the judge denies bail. I know you’ll take that hard, and it won’t be easy for Valerie, either. I can’t swear that my word that you and Abby here will keep an eye on Valerie will carry any weight, but I plan to be there to tell them that.”

  Tripp relaxed just a little. His voice was rough, but there was no mistaking his sincerity
when he spoke. “That means a lot, Gage. All you can do is try.”

  At that point, the bartender delivered Gage’s meal. When he reached for his wallet, the bartender waved him off. “The lady already took care of it.”

  Gage waited until the man left once again before responding. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me pay you back.”

  She did her best to lighten their mood. “No way. You know how I like to make sure my friends are well fed.”

  Both men laughed and shook their heads, the tension between them gone for the moment. Abby figured the cost of a burger and fries was worth every penny if it meant Tripp and Gage could make it through another day with their friendship intact. Of course, that could all change tomorrow if things didn’t go well for Valerie.

  However, if she did make bail and came back to the house, Abby planned on having a long and ugly conversation with the woman. She’d deliberately misled both her and Tripp about how bad things were between her, her sister, and Bryce Cadigan. If she’d lied about phone calls and threats, had she also lied about not killing him?

  For Tripp’s sake, Abby hoped not.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As expected, Abby’s meeting with the veterans group went smoothly. Although she had no intention of getting caught up in any more committees, she had to admit that Pastor Jack and the others had been amazing to work with. She hadn’t had to nag about anyone’s assigned duties, nor was she going to have to step in at the last minute to pick up the slack for someone who had made promises he or she couldn’t keep. They’d even applauded when she and Zoe summarized how much they’d made at the auction. That they’d sold out of tickets for the dance was icing on the cake.

  She was also grateful that no one brought up the murder. It was never far from her mind, but that didn’t mean she wanted to rehash it over and over again. At least the meeting kept her busy while she waited to find out how things had played out in Valerie’s court hearing that morning.

  For now, she smiled at everyone at the table. “Thanks again for coming today and for all your hard work. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m thrilled with how well all of this is turning out, and I can’t wait to see the hall all decorated for the dance. I’ve heard from a lot of people how much fun they’ve had getting their costumes, too.”