Sister Eve, Private Eye

by Lynne Hinton

  Megan’s story had already gone through several revisions since they first met. Evangeline liked Megan a lot, fully believed in her innocence, and was committed to clearing her name, but she was beginning to worry about the young woman’s understanding of what it meant to tell the truth.

  “When I talked to her last week after she was arrested, she said she got up at around three in the morning and that Cheston was asleep in the guest room.”

  Evangeline blew out a long breath. “Is there anything else in her story that she’s changed?”

  “Oww!” the Captain yelled. “Ricky, that’s tender under there!”

  Trooper, who had been resting at the foot of the bed, rose up.

  “Sorry. I’ll take it down a notch so it’s not so tight.” Ricky adjusted one of the straps on the prosthetic. “There.” He sat back on his haunches. “How’s that, Mr. Divine?”

  The Captain nodded. “Better,” he answered, still seated. “I got a copy of her police report. Her statement is in the file. We went over it and she said that what is written on this statement is the truth. They had dinner and then an argument. She went into the bedroom and stayed a couple of hours, and then she saw him in the hot tub about eleven o’clock. She went to bed and got up at three. She went to find him and he was asleep in the guest room.”

  Evangeline opened up the file in her lap and began rifling through the papers, searching for Megan’s statement. “By the way, it’s Diveen,” she said to Ricky. “Not Divine, Diveen.”

  “Right,” he replied. He had certainly heard the correct pronunciation before.

  Eve continued. “So, what time did Megan say she got up to get ready for the flight? What time did she notice he was gone?”

  “O six hundred,” came the answer.

  “So, Cheston left the house sometime between three and six.” Evangeline was putting the facts together. She thought for a minute. “Did he have his car here in Madrid?”

  The Captain nodded. “According to everyone who remembers, he drove from Los Angeles a month or so before disappearing. He bought a new BMW after the last rehab stint.”

  Mother Madeline had mentioned seeing the same brand of car in the driveway of her neighbor, the writer. “Was it silver?”

  The Captain turned to his daughter. “How did you know?”

  “Madeline saw a silver BMW a couple of months ago. It was parked at the house below her property.” She shrugged. “Do you think it could be the same one?”

  “Well, you grew up in Madrid. How many fancy, new European cars do you see in town?” He sat up a bit, sliding a little closer to the edge. “Find out what Madeline knows about her neighbor. Maybe it’s somebody the police missed.”

  Ricky moved back, giving the Captain more room to try standing. Trooper paid close attention to her master’s movements.

  Evangeline looked up from the file and joined the other two witnesses to watch the patient stand for the first time on his new leg.

  He positioned his hands behind him on the bed and pushed. He stood for a second. He grimaced a bit and then exhaled. “Well, Ricky, let’s take Peggy for a trial run.”

  “Peggy?” Evangeline shook her head.

  “I know this is a man’s ankle and foot, and I realize that Ricky has brought me one that is a lot fancier than a wooden leg, but Peggy works and Peggy she is.” He stepped out with his good leg and then slowly and carefully put weight on the prosthetic. He nodded and took another step. “Trooper, you and I can finally start taking those hikes again!” And he headed out of his bedroom and into the hall, the dog loping behind.

  Evangeline looked over to Ricky, who was grinning.

  “Peg leg, Peggy … that’s a good one,” he noted. “Your dad’s pretty funny.”

  “Hilarious,” she replied, and they both followed the Captain out the door.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  “It’s his car all right. Hold on a minute.”

  There was a pause.

  “Sorry. I needed to walk around the corner from the station. Lots of nosy cops around here. Anyway, they found the BMW out near Cedar Hill, out along one of the old mining roads. No prints anywhere except the victim’s. No cell phone or laptop. Whoever drove it out there must have gotten a ride out or hiked back to town. But with the snow and the extended time since the murder, there aren’t any tracks of note.”

  The Captain nodded and jotted down a few notes while listening on the telephone to his friend’s news. He was sitting at his desk.

  Evangeline sat across from him, paying close attention.

  “What have you heard about that known acquaintance of the victim named Ross Biltmore?” he asked. “The writer?”

  Evangeline leaned forward, trying to hear the response. Madeline hadn’t seen any activity near the place since she’d returned from her cruise. She didn’t think he was in town. Evangeline drove to the edge of Biltmore’s property but was unable to get through the locked gate. She talked to the realtor who had sold the property, too, but the only thing he would say was that Mr. Biltmore saw the place and made an offer the next day. He had accepted the terms of the sale and didn’t ask for any changes to the purchasing contract. “It was the easiest fifteen thousand I’ve ever made,” he’d said.

  The Captain dropped the receiver from his mouth, covering it with his hand. “Can you get me a cup of coffee?” he asked. “And can you get that cat out of here?”

  Evangeline rolled her eyes. She was not about to push the cat out, and besides, she thought he was going to bring her up to speed as to what was going on by repeating what Daniel was saying about Madeline’s neighbor. She stood up and walked over to fix him a cup of coffee.

  “You say he left to go out of town a day before Cheston disappeared?” He winked at Evangeline as she handed him the cup.

  She sat back down.

  “Yes, fax it over,” he said. “Thank you, Dan,” he added before hanging up the phone.

  Evangeline waited for the rest of the news from the police.

  The Captain took a sip of his coffee. He was taking his time.

  “A helicopter pilot spotted the car. It was way out past your friend’s place, way down one of the old mining roads.” He nodded. “But it’s definitely his.”

  “And Mr. Biltmore?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Out of the country is all they know. Airplane ticket for New Delhi the day before Cheston disappeared. No return date confirmed.”

  “What do they know about him?”

  He shrugged. “A writer, but no published book.”

  “Screenplays?”

  “Not purchased.”

  “Well, he had money coming in from somewhere,” Eve said.

  The Captain studied her. “How’s that?”

  “He paid cash for the house and land,” she replied, recalling what the realtor had told her. “And the property sold for half a million dollars.”

  “That old cabin?” he asked, sounding surprised.

  “The cabin and fifty acres,” she explained. “It belonged to the Placer Mining Company. Biltmore owns the land all the way from Madeline’s property line to the highway.”

  “When did he buy it?”

  “Couple of years ago,” she answered. “Right after that movie came out that put Madrid on the map.”

  “The motorcycle one,” he said.

  “Twila said she met John Travolta.”

  The Captain reached inside his drawer and pulled out an autographed picture of the movie star. It was signed, “Thanks for solving the mystery.”

  Evangeline read it and looked up. “What mystery did you solve?”

  “They were shooting out past the Silver Cross, and I drove him to where they were filming one day. He couldn’t figure out how to open the ranch gate.”

  “The sliding bar?”

  The Captain nodded. “Guess they don’t have those in Hollywood.” He opened the drawer and placed the picture back in it. “Anyway, I had to get out and show him how to open it.”

 
Evangeline nodded and then thought about something. “Those gates are on just about all the properties around here.”

  “Yep, some cowboy design, I reckon.”

  “And not everyone knows how to open them. I remember you teaching me and Dorisanne how to reach around and slide it without pinching our fingers.”

  The Captain looked at her. “Right.”

  “I just thought of something,” she said.

  He waited.

  “The gate at Mr. Biltmore’s property.”

  “It has that kind of lock?”

  “It does. And it wasn’t secured the right way.” She began to remember how there was a chain lock on the gate, but the slide was unfastened. The chain merely wrapped around the last bar of the gate and around the first bar of the fence.

  “So, somebody locked it and didn’t know what they were doing?” The Captain picked up on what she was suggesting.

  There was a pause.

  “Could have been the police,” she suggested.

  He shook his head. “Daniel said the same thing you did. They drove out there but couldn’t get in. They didn’t have a warrant, so they didn’t bust the lock.”

  “So, somebody left the property, wrapped the chain lock back, but didn’t close the gate correctly.”

  “I guess it could have been Biltmore,” the Captain said.

  Evangeline shook her head. “He’s lived there more than a year. Surely he figured out how to close and lock the gate at some point in all that time.”

  “You’re suggesting somebody went out there and messed with the gate while Biltmore has been gone?”

  She shrugged. “Could be. And there’s something else that bothers me.”

  “I’m listening,” he responded.

  “If they still think Megan did this, how do they suppose she killed him, disposed of his body, abandoned his car, and got back to the house? They seem to be overlooking something very important.”

  “Megan doesn’t drive.” The Captain grinned and pointed his finger at Evangeline. “You are turning out to be a fine detective!”

  Even though she had spent a lot of years trying to overcome the original and most deadly of the seven sins, Evangeline couldn’t help herself. The Captain’s words flooded her with a sense of pride. She smiled and then, quickly recognizing her temptation, bowed her head to pray.

  THIRTY-SIX

  John Ewing was standing in his kitchen. Evangeline could see him as they walked toward the house.

  “No, I’m calling from the home phone. I know. I know … I won’t talk long.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “His girlfriend,” he said. “The young Hollywood star that used to come to New Mexico with him.”

  Evangeline and Captain Divine had parked at the stables. When they didn’t find anyone around there, they headed up to the house. They were standing at the front door and could overhear the phone conversation. Evangeline glanced at the Captain and gave a shrug, suggesting they might be interrupting something important. “Maybe we should go back to the stables,” she whispered.

  “Hold on just a minute.”

  And suddenly Ewing was at the door. “I’m going to have to call you back,” he said and quickly turned off the cordless phone. “Hello, Jack,” he said, pushing open the screen door. “What a nice surprise.”

  Jackson and Evangeline moved aside so that the rancher would have room to walk out. When he did, he spotted the woman.

  “Sister,” he said. “Well, what a treat.”

  She smiled. “Mr. Ewing, good to see you too.” She reached out and gave the man a hug.

  He clapped her on the back and then stepped back. “So, how long have you both been standing out here?”

  He seemed a little nervous.

  “We just walked up,” the Captain answered. “We parked down there,” he added and turned and pointed to his truck. “Thought you might be in your office.” His voice was calm, easy. He sounded like someone who was just stopping by to see a friend.

  The rancher glanced out toward his friend’s truck and then back.

  “Nice day today,” Captain Divine said.

  “Ah, yes, it looks like spring is on its way.” He nodded.

  “Good day for a ride,” Jackson noted.

  Ewing studied him. “You want to go horseback riding?”

  “Oh no.” Jackson laughed. “I reckon my riding days are over.” He stuck out his prosthetic.

  Ewing looked down at the artificial limb. He suddenly seemed embarrassed. “I was sorry to hear about your operation,” he said.

  “Oh, it was nothing. I’m doing very well,” Jackson replied, waving off the sympathy. “Good hospital over there at Santa Fe. And now that I got this contraption, I’ll be just fine.”

  Ewing nodded and turned his attention to Evangeline. “How are things at the convent, Sister?” he asked. “You sure aren’t dressed like the last time I saw you at church.”

  “Things are fine,” she answered, looking down at the clothes she was wearing, the old shirt from her father’s closet, a pair of faded jeans, the boots. She hadn’t worn her habit since the day she left Pecos.

  There was an awkward pause as all three of them nodded and smiled at one another.

  “If I remember right, you used to know how to handle a horse pretty well when you and your sister were young.”

  Eve grinned. “Yes, sir, we had our own horses when we were little.”

  “Eve was a barrel racer until she discovered motorbikes.”

  Ewing nodded. “That’s right. I remember seeing you once or twice over at the county rodeo. You won a few ribbons.”

  “That was a long time ago,” she noted.

  An extended thread of silence elapsed before the rancher made another comment.

  “Well, you know, Captain, I’ve read about folks doing about anything they want without arms and legs. Skiing, hiking, swimming. So, if you want to try getting on a horse, I’m happy to help you.”

  “No, no. We’re not here to ride,” he said.

  The rancher waited. “I’m sorry. Where are my manners?” he asked and opened the screen door. “Would you like to come in, have a glass of tea or a beer or something?”

  “Thanks, but we didn’t come to mess up your day.” Jackson waved his hands in protest.

  Ewing closed the door and stood with them on the porch.

  “We were just wondering if you could tell us where they found the body.”

  Eve was surprised. On the ride over to the Silver Cross, the Captain had made it sound as if he was going to ask the question in passing, just take the stance of a curious bystander. They had both agreed not to tell folks around town that Jackson was working for Megan. He had explained that sometimes people talk more when they think they’re not being interviewed.

  Ewing looked first at the Captain, then at Evangeline.

  “Why would you want to know about that?” he asked.

  “Oh, you know, Eve and I were just arguing about where he was. One of my old buddies on the force told me he was found out near the cemetery, and Eve shared that somebody in town said he was out next to the road, by the wash. You know me …” He grinned. “I hate to be wrong, so since we were just heading home from Santa Fe, I told her to stop in here so that I could prove I was right.”

  Ewing studied his guests. “Well, looks like this may be a first,” he finally said.

  “And why’s that?” Jackson asked.

  “Your daughter’s got the correct information this time. You’re wrong.”

  “Oh?” Eve smiled.

  “The body was found off the side of the road heading up to the mines trail. Aaron saw it when he was on top of the hill. Snow had melted so he got a good look.” He paused. “You want to ride up there to see it?” he asked. “I can get the four-wheeler.”

  Jackson shook his head. “Nah, that’s all right. I know where you’re talking about. I guess being wrong was bound to happen sooner or later.” He nodded, sticking his hands
in the pockets of his jacket.

  “Always lots of rumors getting started in a situation like this.”

  “Did you know the guy?” Jackson asked.

  Ewing seemed a bit surprised by the question. “The dead man?”

  “Yeah, he was a Hollywood director, Charles Cheston. He ever come out here to ride?”

  Evangeline watched the rancher closely. She wanted to see how he responded.

  “I heard he rented a place for a couple of months, seemed to like it out here, and I was just wondering if he ever came over to try a little horseback riding,” Jackson pressed.

  Ewing shook his head. “No, he never came out for a ride.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Get a lot of those Hollywood types, though.”

  “Yeah, I figured,” Jackson responded. “Come out here and want a taste of the cowboy life.”

  “You won’t hear no complaint from me,” Ewing said. “They’re willing to pay pretty good for a trail ride.”

  Jackson nodded. “What about anybody from his family?”

  “What?” Ewing appeared not to understand the question.

  “Cheston’s family or friends, any of them ever come out here?”

  Ewing narrowed his glance at the private detective. “Jackson, if I didn’t know you were retired and recently in the hospital, I would think you’re out here on business.” His face hardened a bit. “What about it, Sister?”

  Evangeline didn’t know how to respond. “What about what, Mr. Ewing?”

  “Your daddy here on business?” He smiled, but it seemed forced.

  “Oh, you know the Captain, Mr. Ewing.” She was trying to lighten the mood. “Hard to let go of old habits. It’s like he said—we were just on our way home from a doctor’s visit and decided to stop by and say hello. We’re sorry if we’ve interrupted you or made it sound like we were conducting a police interview.”

  The rancher dropped his shoulders, appearing to relax. “It’s okay. I’m sorry. Just a little jumpy. I’ve had a lot of folks asking questions the last few weeks. I guess I’m oversensitive.”

  “No worries,” Evangeline responded, taking over the conversation. “You about ready to head home?” she asked the Captain.

  He didn’t answer right away. He studied the rancher closely and then finally nodded. “You know, maybe I will try getting back on a horse again,” he said.