Cause for Murder

by Betty Sullivan La Pierre

  Williams glanced in the rearview mirror. “Damn! I thought you said he'd be working."

  "I assumed.” Hawkman pointed ahead. Drive over that crest and we'll be hidden from view. Then we can use the trees for cover."

  "Good idea."

  Hawkman directed the detective to the area where he'd parked on his previous visit. The two men got out of the car and Williams unlocked the trunk. He took out a small folded shovel, pulled a large heavy-duty plastic bag from a box, then handed Hawkman some thick rubber gloves and stuffed a pair into his own pocket.

  The two men climbed up the embankment alongside the road. When Hawkman glanced over the top, he ducked and quickly signaled for Williams to drop down. He waited a few moments, then peeked over the edge and watched Maduk get out of the car and go into the house.

  "Okay, he's inside,” he whispered, and gestured for the detective to follow.

  They stayed in the shadows and Hawkman kept a wary eye on the house. Going deeper into the forest, he scanned the tree trunks. After several yards, he wondered if he'd gone too far, then spotted the marks he'd made with his knife on the barks of the big oaks.

  He measured off three long steps then motioned for Williams to hand him the shovel. Within minutes of digging into the soft dirt, he uncovered the box. Williams slipped on the gloves he'd brought, squatted on his haunches and carefully removed the container from the hole.

  Heedful not to damage any evidence, the detective took his pen and flipped back the cardboard lid so he could see the bottle. “Yep, it says ‘poison’ and ‘paraquat'. I'll have the lab check to make sure that's what in the bottle."

  Hawkman slipped on the rubber gloves and held open the plastic bag for Williams as he slid the box inside. “The only problem is, there's no evidence that Maduk buried this out here. Even if he did, there could be a very valid reason."

  "True,” the detective said. “But we know he's connected to Lilly and he's the father of Maryann. Right now it will just serve as circumstantial evidence."

  He sealed the bag with an identification tag and stood. “Oh, by the way, did I tell you I received a call from the lab and they'd found a clear print on the plastic container? The report will be with the next batch of test results. Maybe the packet will be waiting when we get back to the office."

  "I've been thinking about the liquor bottle with the print on it. If that came from Lilly's work place, any number of people could have handled it."

  "Boy, you're one pessimist."

  "Just looking at all the angles. We have nothing concrete on Maduk. Yet, he seems the most likely suspect. Of course, Maryann and Lilly also had reasons to want Parker dead."

  Hawkman scooped dirt back into the hole, then scattered some branches over the top so the ground appeared undisturbed. Satisfied, the two men headed back through the forest to the detective's car. When they passed Maduk's place, Hawkman noted the Buick still parked in the driveway.

  Driving back toward town, Hawkman told Williams the story about how Sam and Richard figured the old guy living in the alley must have been crazy as he went ballistic on them when Sam mentioned Burke Parker had died."

  "That's very interesting. I think I better check him out."

  "You never know, he might have seen something."

  When the men arrived at the station, they threw the rubber gloves into a container for contaminated items, then Williams filled out a report sheet requesting tests he wanted done. He had the poison placed in a metal container to be transported to the police lab.

  When they entered the detective's office, Williams glanced at his desk. “I don't see any new mail. Guess the reports didn't make it today."

  Hawkman rested his hand on the door jamb. “I'll check with you tomorrow. Maybe the police lab will have something for us, too."

  "I'll give you a call."

  Giving a wave, Hawkman left the office.

  * * * *

  Lilly gnawed her lower lip as she drove to work. She worried about how hostile her daughter had become, almost to the point of being frightening. And it also concerned her that Maryann knew for some time about a bottle of paraquat in the carport cabinet. Why did the missing poison bother her?

  Wishing to avoid these thoughts before work, she concentrated on the time she'd spent with Maduk. She adored the home he'd purchased in that beautiful country setting. To think she'd finally be able to share her life with the man she'd loved all these years. The thought sent chills of happiness down her spine. She prayed her dream would come true soon.

  When she arrived at work, she stored her purse under one of the counters and put on a frilly apron. She'd no more clocked in when one the other waitress told her the boss wanted to see her.

  Lilly walked down the short hall that led to his office and knocked on the door.

  "Come in."

  She entered the room. “Mr. Thomas, did you want to see me?"

  He glanced up. “Yes, Lilly. Please close the door."

  Lilly felt her stomach flutter at his grim expression. “What is it? Have I made an error on my tally?"

  He shook his head. “No. A Detective Williams and his partner came in to see me this afternoon. They're investigating the murder of your late husband."

  She quickly took the chair in front of his desk. “Why are they questioning you?"

  "It seems the liquor bottle they found in the motel room with your husband's body, came from this establishment."

  Lilly stared at him wide eyed. “How could they tell?"

  "We're one of many bars who puts small coded stickers on our booze. It's a way we keep track of our sales, and make sure no one's stealing our liquor. If we find missing gaps in the numbers, we know something isn't right. They're not positive it came from our place, but he showed me a picture of a liquor bottle with an incomplete stamp and number. It looked suspiciously like one of ours."

  Lilly put a hand to her mouth. “Oh my."

  "I told him we give the partial bottles to our employees at the end of each week. I'm questioning each of the employees, so don't feel like I've just picked you out of the group because it's your husband who died. But I need to know the truth. Did you ever take any of those bottles?"

  "Why, yes. When Burke was alive, he told me to bring home what I could.” She lowered her eyes. “He was an alcoholic."

  "Yes, we all know about Burke's problems. Do you remember any of the brands you took?"

  Lilly fiddled with the lace on her apron. “He told me any of the dark stuff, so I only chose those. I don't know anything about liquor. I'm not much of a drinker.” She held up a hand. “Don't get me wrong, I'm not a teetotaler. I like a little snort now and then."

  "That's not what concerns me. They found traces of poison in the bottle."

  Lilly jerked up her head. “Oh my God! Do you think I might have gotten hold of a contaminated one and given it to Burke?"

  "It's possible. Or someone added poison to it later."

  Lilly stood, her hands trembled as she gripped the back of the chair. “Oh, my, the police are going to suspect me or my daughter of murdering my husband."

  Mr. Thomas raised his brows. “Did you, Lilly?"

  She looked him straight in the eye. “Good Lord, no!"

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Tuesday morning, Hawkman walked into the living room and found Sam sitting in his chair, staring out over the lake. “Don't tell me you couldn't sleep in."

  "I received a voice message on my cell phone from Maryann. She says it's urgent and she needs to talk to me. I'm debating about calling her back."

  "Maybe you left something at the house."

  Sam shook his head. “I don't think so."

  "Instead of sitting there brooding, call and find out what she wants."

  "My gut tells me it's about Burke's murder and she won't want to talk about it on the phone. She'll want me to come into town."

  Hawkman strolled over beside him and looked out at the water. “You know that might not be a bad idea. You might be a
ble to find out something that we can't."

  Sam glanced up at him and scowled. “Like what?"

  "Did Burke eat at home after Lilly kicked him out? Or did she ever give him food or liquor."

  "Why would she give him booze? He beat her when he got drunk."

  "Perhaps she had no choice. He might have insisted she bring him some of those almost empty bottles from work. If she refused, then he might have knocked her around a bit."

  Sam let out a sigh. “So, you're telling me to go in and see what I can drag out of Maryann?"

  Hawkman chuckled. “I think she'll talk freely. She needs to unload and you're really the only friend she has."

  Dragging himself out of the chair, Sam headed toward the front door. “I think I'll call her, and the only place I can get a good signal on my cell is out in the middle of the street."

  Hawkman nodded, as he ambled into the kitchen. “Yeah, I know."

  Jennifer had set the coffee pot on the timer and the scent of the fresh brew filled the air. Hawkman poured himself a cup and watched out the window as Sam made the call. Maybe he'd get an insight on the cause for murder.

  Jennifer waltzed into the kitchen. “Good morning. Looks like a beautiful day. Hmm, that coffee smells so good.” She poured a mug full. “What are you looking at?"

  "Sam. He's making a phone call to Maryann."

  She glanced outside. “I didn't think he wanted to see that girl again."

  "I talked him into it."

  "You what?"

  "She wants to talk. He might be able to find out more than we can."

  Jennifer frowned. “You shouldn't put our son in that position."

  "Why not? He's a grown man. He might even be a private investigator one day. He needs to learn how to get information from a person."

  She glared at him. “You're using Sam."

  "He knows it. I told him so."

  "Well, you've just ruined my day."

  "Sorry about that. You'll get over it."

  Stomping into the dining room, Jennifer booted up the computer. “When are you going to work?"

  "As soon as I find out what he's going to do."

  Hawkman watched his son, shoulders slumped, trudge up the driveway toward the house. He knew the boy would be going into Yreka.

  When Sam came through the door, he clamped his cell to his belt. “She wanted me to come by for lunch. I told her no, we'd go someplace and eat. I don't want to be alone in that house with her again."

  Hawkman patted him on the back. “Sounds good. I'll be anxious to hear what she has to say. Give me a call after you've taken her home."

  "Sam, you don't have to do this,” Jennifer said.

  "It's okay. I like helping out. I just wish it wasn't Maryann. Every move I make, she takes it wrong and thinks I'm interested in her, even if she's made the advances.” He let out a sigh. “I'm sure Hawkman's had cases that weren't pleasant."

  "Yes, but he's experienced in these things and you're not."

  "Yeah, but he had to start somewhere."

  * * * *

  Sam soon left the house and drove toward Yreka. He didn't push it; he wasn't in any hurry. He wondered why Maryann wanted to see him. What did she have to say that appeared so urgent? She'd indicated on the phone that she had to talk to someone and told him to come after lunch when her mother wouldn't be there.

  It seemed he'd arrived in Yreka much too soon, even though he'd kept well under the speed limit. He took a deep breath when he pulled in front of the Parker house. Maryann stood outside hosing down the garden and had a sprinkler set up on the lawn. When she saw him drive up, she turned off the water and hurried toward his truck.

  "Hi, Sam,” she said, jumping into the passenger side. “Thanks for not turning me down. I'm sure you'd rather be fishing."

  Sam bit his lip to keep from making a comment. “You sounded pretty desperate.” He pulled away from the house. “Where would you like to have lunch."

  "A fast food place is fine. Let's get it to go and take it someplace private so we can talk."

  "Sure."

  They ordered a couple of hamburgers, fries and sodas.

  "How about that little park near your house?” Sam asked.

  "Okay."

  They found a vacant table in the shade and proceeded to unwrap their burgers. Maryann took a couple of bites in silence, then put her sandwich down on a napkin.

  "I'm really worried, Sam."

  "What about?"

  "I'm afraid Maduk murdered Burke."

  Sam grimaced. “Why do you think that?"

  She took another bite of her hamburger and swallowed. “Before Memorial weekend, I only had one class on Friday, so I decided to cut it and come home Thursday evening. Richard probably told you I was here. I really didn't want anyone to know, but now I don't care. Well, Burke came pounding at the door about one o'clock Friday morning. He was drunk and threatened my mom, telling her he was moving back in. She told him he'd never step foot in that house again. Well, he grabbed her by the shoulders and was going to hit her, but I walked into the living room with my gun. He backed off, but yelled that the house was in his name and he'd have us evicted."

  Sam stared at her with a stunned expression. “Boy, he was one mean dude."

  Maryann cocked her head and looked him in the eye. “Do you know how that devastated my mother? That house is all she has to her name. There's no way she could afford to rent an apartment. By the time she gets through paying the bills, she hardly has enough money to keep food on the table. His threat would've forced her out on the street as a homeless person."

  "That's terrible. But I don't understand how that points to Maduk."

  Maryann shifted on the concrete bench, then folded a napkin around the remainder of her sandwich. “Mom left that Friday morning and stayed gone most of the day until time for her to go to work. I think she went to Maduk and told him what happened. You can pretty well guess the rest."

  He shook his head. “No, I can't. Because it doesn't make sense. Maduk couldn't get close enough to poison Burke's food and drink without him being suspicious."

  She slapped her hands on the surface of the concrete table. “A bottle of poison is missing from the cabinet in the carport. He's the only one that could have taken it."

  Sam stared at her, puzzled. “What are you talking about?"

  She rubbed her hands over her face. “A bottle of paraquat has been in that cabinet for ages. I have no idea where it came from. I looked for it after we found out Burke had been poisoned. It's disappeared. I asked mom about it and she almost accused me of killing Burke."

  Sam narrowed his eyes. “Did you?"

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Maryann's dark eyes blazed. “How dare you imply such a horrible thing.” She slapped her sandwich back into the bag and stood. “You can take me home now. I don't think I care to see you anymore."

  Sam crunched up his food wrappers and stuffed them into the sack, then scooted off the bench. “Fine with me."

  She stomped toward the pickup and climbed inside. Sam took his time and threw the debris into the waste can, then meandered to the truck and slid into the driver's seat.

  Leaning against the steering wheel, he faced Maryann. “I don't know what to think. Someone close to Burke poisoned him. You, your mom and Maduk are the most likely suspects. And if paraquat was accessible at your house, that makes it even more believable."

  "Do you actually think I could resort to murder?” she spat.

  "I don't know. You know how to use a gun and you just told me you'd threatened Parker."

  She stared out the window. “You know, I think I could have shot him. But poisoning him ... I don't think I'd know how."

  "You worked at school for a chemistry teacher. And you've had classes; you'd certainly know about poisons."

  She shot him a fierce look. “Well, sure. Just like you. But they certainly didn't teach us how to kill people."

  Sam frowned and turned the key. “I know that. But we
learned what happens if a person ingests certain kinds. Some toxicants are more deadly than others. And I remember learning about paraquat and its irreversible damage done to people in Mexico and the Middle East. Also many deaths were caused from using the pesticide. I don't recall an antidote."

  Maryann rode in silence. When they reached her house, she jumped out and turned to Sam. “Maybe you'll come and visit me in prison.” Then she slammed the door.

  Sam watched her march up the sidewalk. For some odd reason, he didn't feel bad.

  * * * *

  Maryann stormed into the living room, mumbling to herself. When Maduk stepped out of the kitchen, her hand flew to her throat. “This is the second time you've almost scared me to death. What are you doing here?"

  "I want you to call your mother at work and get her home. We've got to get out of here."

  "Why?"

  "Sit down, Maryann. I've got something to tell you. Then you'll understand."

  When Maduk finished, Maryann went to the phone, her hand trembling as she lifted the receiver. “Mom, you need to come home right now. It's urgent."

  "I can't just leave."

  "Tell your boss your daughter's been in an accident and you're taking the rest of the day off."

  "It's that serious?"

  "Yes."

  After hanging up, she turned to Maduk. “She'll be home in about twenty minutes."

  Maduk nodded. “Good. Pack a couple of bags for you and Lilly. Enough for a few days."

  Maryann flew to the bedrooms and had the luggage ready when her mother drove into the driveway.

  Lilly dashed into the house, her face contorting into fear when she saw Maduk. Then her gaze shifted to her daughter with the two suitcases. “What's happened?"

  "The police are coming to arrest you and Maryann for the murder of Burke. I want to get you out of here."

  Her face paled. “I don't understand."

  "I'll explain later. We don't have much time. My car's out back."

  The three hustled out the door and climbed into the Buick.

  * * * *

  Hawkman received a call from Sam telling him the about his conversation with Maryann, and how she feared Maduk had killed Burke. He told him what she'd said about the paraquat in the carport disappearing. “However, she got mad at me and I never did find out if Lilly ever fed Burke or if she supplied him with any booze."