by C. M. Sutter
“Yes, boss?”
“You knew Mr. Myers better than the rest of us. He was your landlord for nearly four years. Had any tenants complained about him to you?”
Kate wrung her hands. “Well, sure, we all complained about the lack of maintenance in the apartments, but nobody ever spoke of Mr. Myers in a threatening manner. I know the other tenants, and none of them would ever think of doing that”—she pointed at the dead man on the floor—“to him.”
Jack jerked his head toward the door. “Since you know the other tenants living here, I want you and Billings to start knocking on doors. If Mr. Myers was killed nearly twenty-four hours ago in broad daylight by a loud pistol like a .45, then why didn’t anybody see or hear a thing? I want answers yesterday.”
“Main Street has plenty of retail spaces, boss. The killer has to be on somebody’s surveillance tape.”
“I agree, Amber, but so will the other hundred people entering the same vestibule to go into the hardware store. We have no idea who we’re looking for. It would be like pissing in the wind, but that’s Tom’s call.”
Chief Sanders spoke up. “Let’s shake some trees first. We need to know if Marvin had any enemies. Where does the ex-wife live? Does he have grown kids? What’s his story?”
Jack looked at me. “Amber, you and Clayton get started on that. We need to pull the lease on the hardware store too. Was there bad blood between Mr. Myers and the store owner? Maybe the rent was too high. Check out every angle you can think of. Go ahead and get on that now.”
I looked at Jack and raised my brows. “In what order do you want that done, sir?”
“Sorry. Tom, what’s your opinion?”
“Go ahead and find his family. I’ll get my guys on the hardware store owner and the neighboring tenants and building owners. Somebody had to be talking about something. North Bend is a small town, and people gossip.”
“Amber and Clayton, go to Marvin’s neighborhood and find out everything you can about his family and his daily habits.”
“We’re on it.” Clayton and I headed downstairs. Once outside, we noticed how quiet the street had become now that the area was blocked off and the traffic rerouted. We walked to Clayton’s cruiser. “Now comes the hard part.”
“Talking to his neighbors?”
“Yeah, and we need to find out the address of the ex-wife. There must be grown kids somewhere too. It’s sad that nobody wondered where Marvin was.”
“It’s the times we live in, Amber. You, if anyone, should know how it goes—you’re young. Nobody has a sense of family anymore. Traditional gatherings like Sunday dinners, Christmas with loved ones, and Easter egg hunts have gone out the window. Why be there in person or even talk on the phone when you have Skype and text messaging. Everyone is too busy with their own lives to make time for family.”
I looked at Clayton. “You okay? That really came from the heart.”
He shook his head. “Don’t even get me started.”
I thought about Clayton’s comment. I had to admit, it hit home. I hadn’t talked to my own mom for nearly a month, and she lived only five miles from Jade and me.
I climbed into the passenger seat and fastened my belt. I opened the picture gallery on my phone and found the photo of Marvin’s driver’s license and read the address to Clayton. “It’s a Monday afternoon, you know. Unless he lives in a neighborhood of predominantly retirees, people might still be at work.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Clayton took South Main Street to Oak. He drove west until he reached Silverbrook Drive then made a left. “It’s only a block or so from here.” He craned his neck from side to side and checked the house numbers. “Here we go.” Clayton pulled to the curb just before Evergreen Street. “Nice digs and a great neighborhood.”
I sighed. “Yeah, maybe someday I can afford to be a landlord. It seems like everyone I know who owns rental properties are rich.”
“And especially retail properties downtown. Old man Myers must have been raking in the dough, but according to Kate, he didn’t do much to renovate those apartments or storefronts. Sounds like a slumlord if you ask me.” Clayton killed the ignition. We stepped out of the car and headed up the brick sidewalk. “The guy had to be worth a fortune, which could be a good motive for murder. We need to find out who’s named in his will.”
“Why are we going to a dead man’s door?”
Clayton shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he has a live-in housekeeper.”
Chapter 9
Warren watched the commotion farther up Main Street from his vantage point in Veterans Memorial Park.
Hmm…guess somebody found the old man. It took them long enough.
He thought back to yesterday afternoon when he paid apartment 2-A a visit. He wanted to scope out Kate’s living quarters to see if it was doable to kill her right at home. He wasn’t expecting to run into her landlord inside the apartment. Warren chuckled at what probably was a look of shock on his own face as well as the old man’s. Seeing that the apartment had been vacated gave Warren some concern. He needed to know where Kate Pierce had moved.
The old man became suspicious when Warren insisted on her forwarding address. He didn’t want to give it up without Kate’s permission.
Warren remembered him pulling out his phone. “What did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t say—yet. Who are you calling, anyway?”
“I’m calling Kate. I don’t give out addresses to strangers, not without permission. People can’t be trusted these days, and I don’t want to be held responsible.”
Warren grabbed the old man’s cell phone and stomped it with his heel, shattering the screen. He pulled out the Springfield .45 from his waistband and twisted the suppressor onto the barrel.
The old man held up his hands and backed up against the wall. “I don’t want any trouble, mister.”
“Then tell me where Kate Pierce moved to.”
The old man stared at the floor. “Her address was on my phone.”
“This is a small town, so I’m sure you know where she lives. You’ve got ten seconds to tell me.”
“She lives at Ashbury Woods with the Monroe sisters. It’s a condo development on the south side of town. That’s all I know, I swear.”
Warren grinned. He saw the relief written on the old man’s face. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“No, I guess not.”
“What’s your name?”
“Marvin Myers. I own the building.”
“That’s nice. Thank you, Marvin. Now it’s time to go.”
“Go where?”
“To wherever dead people go.” Warren pulled the trigger. The bullet punctured Marvin’s forehead and threw his head back violently, nearly snapping it off his shoulders. He dropped to the floor like a rock. “Look what you did to that white wall, Marvin.” Warren knelt over the man’s body and pulled out the knife Lea had given him. It had once belonged to Robert, she’d said. Warren sliced Marvin’s throat—twice—as a nod to Lea’s deceased son.
Back in the moment, Warren shielded his face and looked to the ground when the deputy’s cruiser passed by. He rose from the bench and walked to his car. It was time to finalize his plan to kill Jade Monroe.
Chapter 10
Clayton pointed at the Sunday newspaper still lying on the driveway as we passed by. “Not a good sign.” He pressed the doorbell, and we waited.
“I don’t hear anything.” I turned and stared at the street. I took in our surroundings and noticed a few cars in driveways.
He pressed the bell again—nothing. “At least there isn’t a dog in the house who’s going hungry.” Clayton jerked his chin toward the sidewalk. “Let’s hit the entire block. It probably won’t take much time since most people are likely still at work.”
A voice sounded to our right. “Excuse me.”
We turned to see the neighbor lady standing on her front porch.
Clayton shielded his eyes and squinted. “Ma’am?”
“Marvin hasn’t been home since yesterday, which is worrying me.” She pointed at his driveway. “You saw the newspaper, right?”
I nodded. “Give us one minute, ma’am.” We walked to the main sidewalk then crossed onto her driveway.
Clayton had already pulled out his badge. “I’m Detective Clayton, and this is Detective Monroe from the sheriff’s office.”
“Sheriff’s office? Our homes are within the city limits.”
“It’s a joint effort, and your name is?”
“Madge Langley. Joint effort in what? Why are you at Marvin’s house?”
“May we come in, Mrs. Langley?” I asked.
“I’m an old spinster, so just call me Madge, and yes, you may come in. I want answers.”
Clayton held the door open as we entered the foyer. “And we do too.”
“Right this way, Detectives.” Madge led us into the kitchen. The room was warm and cozy and smelled like apple cider. I noticed the plug-in deodorizers in the wall outlets as we took our seats. “I just made coffee. Would you like some?”
I looked at Clayton—he shrugged. “Okay, that would be nice. How did you know we were outside, Madge?”
She carried three cups to the table and went back to the counter to retrieve the coffeepot. “The window above the sink faces Marvin’s house. I saw you walk up the driveway. I’ve been watching that newspaper since yesterday, and it hasn’t budged.” She placed the coffeepot on a trivet and pulled out her chair. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” Clayton poured for all of us. “Are you and Marvin close friends?”
“Close enough, but more so in the summer when we’re both outside farting around in our gardens. He has flowers, and I have vegetables. We tend to share.”
“That’s nice. Does Marvin have kids?”
“That’s an odd question. He’s seventy-four years old. He has a son that’s in his late forties and a daughter that’s two years younger. Don’t see them much, but I know they live in the state.”
“We’ll need whatever information you can give us on them, Madge. What about the ex-wife?”
“Nancy?” Madge swatted the air. “That nasty woman walked out on Marvin years ago. She shacked up with another man until he left her for someone younger. It serves her right.”
“And does Nancy ever shine around?”
“On occasion.” Madge blew on her coffee and took a sip. “Why?”
“We need to speak with her.”
“You went to Marvin’s house to find out where Nancy lives?”
I glanced at Chad. “Sort of. Madge, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Marvin is dead. We need to tell his next of kin, but we didn’t know who that was. Can you help us?”
“Oh, my lord in heaven.” Madge covered her face with her hands. “What happened to Marvin?”
“We can’t discuss the details because it’s an ongoing investigation.”
“Meaning it was something other than natural causes?”
Clayton spoke up. “Madge, you said Nancy stopped over now and then. Do you know why? Was she harassing Marvin, or were they on good terms?”
Madge smirked. “Hardly. Every time she stopped by, it was about money, and he gave her plenty in the divorce settlement. That woman was never satisfied. The son and daughter weren’t much better. To them, Marvin was their personal ATM, but they only shined around when their cash reserves ran low. If Nancy didn’t live in town for them to visit, they probably wouldn’t make the effort to see Marvin, other than for the money, of course.”
“Did anybody have a beef with him that you know of?”
She scratched the side of her nose. “Nah, just his greedy spawn and ex. At least they were the only people he ever mentioned to me. Marvin was an odd duck, a bit reclusive until you got to know him. He seemed like a tightwad driving around in that 1997 Malibu when he could afford a Bentley, but I think it was because he was always doling out money. They were relentless.”
Clayton sighed. “Giving in to their spoiled demands was his first mistake and maybe his last.”
“So you’re saying somebody murdered him?”
“I didn’t say that, Madge.”
“But you implied it.” She poured more coffee for each of us.
I smiled a thank-you. “Madge, we need the son and daughter’s names and an address for Nancy. We have to pay them a visit today.”
“Sure thing, but that information is at Marvin’s house. I know where the spare key is since I take in his mail whenever he’s out of town.”
I grimaced. “We shouldn’t rifle through his stuff.”
“It wouldn’t be rifling. His address book is always on his desk. That way you’d have the phone numbers too.”
Clayton took a gulp of coffee then stood. “A valid point since we found Marvin’s cell phone smashed. Shall we?”
Madge put on her coat and pocketed her keys. “It won’t take more than a minute or two.”
I asked more questions as we walked to Marvin’s house. “Who else, other than you, was Marvin close to in the neighborhood?”
“He played poker every Tuesday night with the guys. They met at Don’s house.” She pointed at the cedar-and-stacked-stone residence across the street. “He’s a doctor in town.”
“Really? Dr. Who?”
She chuckled. “That was a clever response.”
I had no idea what she meant.
“Dr. Don Foran, the sports medicine doctor.”
I glanced back as we stood on Marvin’s porch while Madge lifted a fake rock in the frozen flower bed. “Humph. Nice house.”
It felt strange to be entering the house of a deceased person without a crime scene before us. The home’s interior was dark and silent. Madge flipped on several lights as we followed her to Marvin’s home office.
She pointed at a black leather-bound address book. “Right there like I said, on his desk.”
Clayton picked it up and paged through the book. “Does Nancy still go by Myers?”
“Yep, and the son, Shawn, of course, does as well. The daughter’s name is Megan Shultz.”
I raised my brows. “Megan and Shawn? I never thought of Marvin as Irish.”
“Nancy was the Irish one, and according to Marvin, she had a bad temper when it came to money.”
“That’s an interesting piece of information.” I jotted it in my notepad.
“Here we go.” Clayton snapped a picture of Nancy and Shawn’s phone numbers and addresses. He flipped the pages to the S tab and found Megan Shultz. He took another picture, checked them both in his gallery to make sure they came up okay, then put the address book back on the desk. “I guess that’s it. We appreciate your help, Madge.” Chad tipped his head toward the doorway, and we left. Madge flipped off each switch as we passed.
I handed her my card. “Please call me if you think of anyone that Marvin has ever mentioned in a negative way”—I smiled—“besides the family.”
We watched as Madge placed the key under the fake rock. She waved as she walked to her house and went inside.
I looked at Chad. “She was pretty helpful. Maybe we should check in with Jack and get an update before we head to Nancy’s house.” I climbed into the passenger side of the car and made the call.
Chapter 11
With my cell set to Speakerphone, I talked to Jack. “Hey, boss, it’s Amber. What’s the latest on the Myers case?”
“Kate and Billings interviewed the woman directly across the hall from Kate’s old apartment. Beth Kent is her name, and she swears she heard two male voices talking from behind the door yesterday after one o’clock. What’s odd is that she said she didn’t hear anything else. The blast of a gunshot would have definitely set off alarms.”
“Maybe the perp used a suppressor. That could explain why nobody alerted the police.”
“There’s a good chance that’s how it went down. The apartments are too close together for nobody to hear the sound of a gunshot echo through the hallway.”
; I heard the frustration in Jack’s voice.
“Anyway, Todd is checking the wall for a slug, and Lena and Jason are back at the morgue with Marvin’s body. We’ll know more as time goes on. How are you guys doing?”
“We did get quite a bit of information from Marvin’s next-door neighbor. We have the address for the ex-wife and adult children—a son and daughter. According to the neighbor, all three of them constantly hounded Marvin for money.”
“Could be motive.”
With the car running, Clayton looked over his notes while we waited for instructions from Jack.
“Should we head to the ex’s house now and tell her about Marvin’s death?”
Jack sighed. “Yeah, go ahead. Find out what you can from her about Marvin’s will. We’ll probably have to start going through his house tomorrow.”
“Boss?”
“Yep.”
“The neighbor took us inside the house to get the addresses and phone numbers from Marvin’s address book. It seemed to be the fastest way to get information since we didn’t even know Marvin had kids.”
“The neighbor has a key to his house?”
“Not exactly—it’s by the front porch under a fake rock in the flower bed.”
“Go get it. That house is going to be locked down until we have a chance to go through it. I don’t want any important paperwork to conveniently go missing. Hang on.”
I waited as Jack talked to somebody in the background.
He returned to the call seconds later. “Okay, Sanders is sending two of his patrolmen over there to seal the house. The ex-wife and kids aren’t going to get a chance to rifle through it.”
“Roger that. We’re heading out.”
“Update me as soon as you leave the ex-wife’s home.”
After I retrieved the house key, Clayton and I continued on. It was now after four o’clock. According to the address in Marvin’s book, Nancy Myers lived on the north side of town, just outside the city limits. Her residence on Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive was in our jurisdiction. No permission was necessary from the city boys to pay her a visit.
Her cottage-style house looked as if it came out of a fairy tale. It was set back in a grove of trees, and a white picket fence accented the clapboard house with green shutters and a large stone fireplace along the west wall. Flower boxes mounted below the front-facing windows were empty that time of year, but I imagined how pretty they must look during the summer months.