Obsessions Can Be Murder: The Tenth Charlie Parker Mystery

by Connie Shelton

  Jake didn’t look happy about this, and she fumed a bit. I knew it for standard procedure in banking; holding funds was a great way for them to earn sizeable interest. Even a few days float on a half-million dollars added up.

  Jake gunned the engine as he roared out of the bank lot and jack-rabbited the SUV two blocks to his next stop, the post office. Amanda and I waited while he went inside.

  “Guess I shouldn’t have mentioned that,” she said. “But I know he wants to start writing checks right away. He’s going to have to fly to Boston next week, too. Oh, well, there are always credit cards.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that so I changed the subject. “Tell me more about Bettina. I’m trying to make the connections between all the relationships in your dad’s case. I heard a rumor that they may have had a fling.”

  She turned to face me. “That’s ridiculous, Charlie. I know about the rumors. People never said anything to me directly, but they gossiped a lot right after the fire. I’d walk into a room and conversation would just go dead. I know they were talking about my dad. Yes, he and Bettina got together a few times. But it was not sexual. They met at our house several times and I was right there. I’d tutored Bettina to complete her GED and Dad was trying to help her get a scholarship for college, for god’s sake. He felt sorry for her. She’d gotten a bad start here and her past just wouldn’t leave her alone.

  “Guys came on to her all the time. That poor girl put up with it but she was humiliated. Dad thought a person shouldn’t have to live with their youthful mistakes forever. He told her she could get into college, somewhere in another city, make a new start. She had the grades for it, just needed the financial help. I sat right there while they filled out the applications.”

  I felt a flush rise on my face. I’d bought into the rumor far too easily. “I’m glad you told me. Why doesn’t that rumor get around town, instead of the negative one?”

  “What good would it do now? Bettina died four years ago. There’s no way to go back and recreate her life. Michaela was about the only other person who cared for her. She’s done a pretty good job of shutting people up, but even she didn’t know about the girl’s hopes for a better education.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it.”

  Jake returned then and we fell silent. So, if the Bettina-David affair was non-existent, there went some of the motive. Surely, David would have at least given the real story to his own wife. But what about Bettina’s boyfriend at the time, Rocko? That guy probably wouldn’t listen to reason, even if he’d known. He may not have felt jealous of David, per se. Maybe his jealousy stemmed from the fact that Bettina actually had a way out of Watson’s Lake and a chance at a better life. Rocko may’ve imagined the two of them together forever and decided if he couldn’t have her, she could forget any other options.

  Chapter 22

  The hardware store was located next to Jo’s, and Amanda and I decided to have a cup of tea while he shopped. He’d already said it might take awhile. Jo greeted us and raised the coffee pot with a question on her face, surprised when I turned that down and asked for tea instead.

  “You ladies want a pastry to go with those?” she asked when she brought mugs and little pots of hot water.

  We both shook our heads.

  “I wanted to ask you about Earleen again,” I said, dunking my teabag a half-dozen times. “I never did hear where she went immediately after the fire. With her home gone, did she rent a place?”

  Amanda finished her own teabag ritual and poured. “Let me think. I was in shock, myself, and not paying a lot of attention to her. It seems like she was gone for a few days, and I think she told me she went to California. There’s a sister or cousin or somebody there. She must have stayed with them for a bit. I’m not sure.”

  “At what point did she move in with Frank? I guess what I’m getting at is, were they fooling around at that point or did he come along later?”

  “My opinion? I think something had been going on for awhile. I told you he’d been one of the contractors asked to bid on the house? Yeah, well when it became obvious that Dad wouldn’t want to work with him, Frank didn’t exactly go away. He found reasons to be around the job and there were little signals zipping back and forth between him and Earleen. How far it went, I can’t say.”

  “I wonder if she’d admit to that now.”

  She gave a little snorting chuckle. “I doubt that. You know how history tends to get rewritten. I’m sure by now she’s convinced herself that she was the perfect, faithful wife. She could probably say that on a polygraph and get away with it.”

  “I’m just having a hard time imagining Frank’s appeal. Especially when she already had David and knew he was building that fabulous house.”

  “Frank was different then. He’d been successful for several years. And he spent freely, wore nice clothes, drove a brand new Suburban. He presented a way better picture than he does now.”

  I digested all that. It made sense. Part of Frank’s appeal, in some skewed way, might have been Earleen’s disillusionment with her husband. He’d made the decision about their move to Watson’s Lake and about his heavy financial investment in Jake’s research. A new man, one who concentrated his attention on her, and her alone, might have been the thing to turn Earleen’s head. No matter that the guy was dishonest and essentially a loser. David hadn’t exactly been forthright with her either.

  My cell phone rang as Jo came around with offers to refill our tea pots. Amanda agreed and I nodded as I checked the caller ID. Ron.

  “Let me take this outside where it’s a little quieter,” I said.

  “What’s up?” he said when I answered.

  “Many things, but no answers,” I told him. “Any news on the insurance?”

  “That’s what I was calling about. Finally got through to the guy who’d agreed to research it for me. No deal. Continental Union isn’t going to pay on the house as long as there’s an unsolved arson case on the property. They’re still adamant that David might have set it up and if the homeowner was involved in any way, no payment.”

  Then the mortgage company would be breathing down Amanda’s neck. They certainly wouldn’t take the loss.

  “I’m asking a lot of questions,” I told him, “and it’s getting interesting. I’m trying to concentrate on the arson, since the police are more focused on David’s murder at this point. But there are so many twists and tangles to the motives, I’m not sure I’m accomplishing much.”

  “And, let me guess, Amanda’s money is running out?”

  “Not entirely. David’s life insurance did pay off. But I don’t know how much of it she wants to devote to this. I’m planning to ask her.”

  I did just that when I returned to the table. In low tones, she debated it.

  “I don’t know, Charlie. I want to know, of course. But I’m not sure how much to spend. We really need every cent at this point. Until Jake’s product goes to market and starts to bring in something.”

  “I understand. We’ve pretty well gone through the retainer you gave me. How about this? I stay until the end of the week, three more days. If I can find the answer and you end up collecting the insurance, you pay me. If not, no obligation.”

  She bestowed a relieved smile on me. “Thanks.”

  What she didn’t know was that I knew the whereabouts of a ton of money that would probably rightfully be hers. So many tangled strings were attached, though, that I didn’t want to mention it just yet.

  Jake popped his head in the door. “Manda, gotta go.”

  It wasn’t actually a request, and she jumped up like he’d pushed her On button. I dropped a few bills on the table and we got into the car as he was putting it in gear.

  “Those men from Med-Accept will be here any time,” he said when Amanda opened her mouth to question the abrupt departure.

  “This early? That’s the company that’ll market Jake’s device once the prototype tests are done,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Th
is is probably the most important meeting I’ll have all year,” he said, “along with the Harvard group next week.” He reached over and squeezed Amanda’s hand.

  A gray sedan sat in their driveway when we pulled up and Jake immediately tensed. “Oh, geez.” Three men in suits were standing at the front door, looking like they were wondering what to do now that they hadn’t gotten an answer.

  Amanda patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Bring them into the house and I’ll offer coffee or lunch. We’ll get them relaxed and then you can take them out to the lab.”

  He took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  Amanda played perfect hostess as she walked up to the men and introduced everyone. Jake’s assurance in the lab didn’t quite translate to personal encounters. I could see where David’s skill with people had gone a long way in the business aspects of their mutual project.

  She ushered the men into the living room, which I noticed for the first time was immaculate. After ascertaining that they’d already had lunch but would love coffee, she and I exited to the kitchen and left the men to talk. She pulled out a special Hawaiian blend and started the brewer. A bakery box came out of the pantry and she arranged cookies on a plate. Fine china came out of a cabinet near the table and a silver tray held cups and saucers. When the coffee finished brewing, she took the tray and I held the cookie plate.

  “…at this point, the patent documents are the only sticking point,” one of the men was saying. I think he’d introduced himself as Walter Cassman.

  “You’ve got them, right?” the tall guy called Brian Wickfield asked.

  Amanda bustled in just then, distracting them with the coffee, offering cream and sugar, serving each man in turn.

  I noticed a thin sheen of sweat on Jake’s forehead and wondered about that.

  “We’ll go out to the lab in a couple minutes,” he said, taking the cup Amanda handed him. When the cup rattled against the saucer he subtly shifted it back to her and reached for a cookie instead. “Um, hon, these are great. My mom’s recipe?”

  She smiled and avoided an answer by passing the plate among the others. The conversation veered toward the deliciousness of the cookies and a discussion of the Hawaiian coffee, reminding Wickfield what a great time he and his wife had enjoyed on the Big Island last summer.

  I ducked into the kitchen to grab the coffee carafe, wondering about Jake’s sudden nervousness. He’d talked as if the patent was a done deal, so what was the hang up? I chalked it up to general anxiety that the deal go through and his youth and inexperience with this part of the process.

  Amanda took the pot from me and refilled. I hovered in the kitchen, not wanting to make an issue of leaving, but eager to get going. The clinking of cups being set down and the return to business conversation signaled a change, and the four males came through the kitchen on their way to the lab out back. Jake would be in his element when he got them out there.

  I left the kitchen cleanup to her and drove back to town. I had three days to try and figure out the arson situation and didn’t want to waste any time. The problem was that I felt stymied and wasn’t sure where to turn next. I knew Continental Union would have their own investigators and their job would be to try to save the company two million dollars by denying the claim. If Amanda had any hope at all, it was going to be with me.

  A brown and gold cruiser sat at one of the pumps at Woody’s Chevron and I pulled in behind it.

  “Yes, the sheriff even has to pump her own gas,” Michaela said when I approached. “I do get a county credit card to pay for it, though.” She gave me a long stare. “Gassing up to head home?” she asked.

  I heard the hope in her voice and ignored it. “I’m still on the job.” I walked close enough to her that our voices wouldn’t carry. “Michaela, is there some reason you don’t like David’s family? I get these strong vibes that you had no regard whatsoever for David, and you haven’t exactly been cooperative with Amanda either.”

  Her jaw tightened and a muscle quivered near her ear.

  “I don’t know this family,” I said. “I just came into the middle and I’m checking out possibilities. That’s all. If they’re terrible people, let me know. I haven’t seen it.”

  She struggled with something, glanced down at the badge on her ample chest. “As a law enforcement officer, I suppose I’m pretty much in the same boat you are. I’ve looked at this arson case every which way and, other than the insurance motive, can’t find any proof positive.” She replaced the gas nozzle and closed the cap on her vehicle before speaking again. “As a person, I just didn’t happen to care much for David Simmons. His . . . values . . . didn’t correspond with mine.”

  “You’re talking about the alleged affair with Bettina?”

  “Everybody knew it. They spent way more time together than a married man and a young woman should do.”

  “Did you ever actually take the time to ask your niece about this relationship? I know you cared for her. Did you find out what they were doing?”

  “We didn’t talk often, not about personal matters.”

  “Maybe you should have. Maybe she would have told you that David was helping her apply for financial aid to college. Maybe she would have told you that Amanda tutored her and helped her with her GED.”

  Michaela couldn’t meet my gaze now.

  “Maybe ‘poor little Bettina’ wanted something better for herself than this town and Rocko Rodman as the man in her life. No one here would take her seriously but she hoped to make a new start in a new place.”

  “I . . . whew! I never saw that.” She shuffled a ring of keys from one hand to the other. She rubbed a hand across her forehead and fluffed her bangs. “Maybe I am getting too old for this job.”

  I relaxed the set of my shoulders. “I didn’t mean it that way,” I said. “I didn’t know it either and I made the same judgments. Maybe it’s a lesson in keeping an open mind.”

  “So, what’s this mean overall to the investigation.”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’d like to think it takes away someone’s motive, but if everyone in town thought the same thing, it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t true. I’m still leaning toward Rocko, although I’m not sure he had the smarts to set everything up. It seems more likely that he’d simply batter Bettina a bit and wait somewhere in the dark for David.”

  “Which he may very well have done.”

  “But would he take the time and trouble to figure out how to sink the car and cover up the evidence?”

  She leaned against the cruiser. “I always figured Amanda herself as a possibility.” She held up a hand to my automatic protest. “Just keep that open mind for a minute. No love lost between her and Earleen. She knew her father was going out of town, knew Earleen would get home the next day and be there alone. She’s intelligent.”

  “As open as I’d like to be on this, I just don’t see Amanda taking a violent path. She’d be more of a poisoner, don’t you think?” We both managed to crack a smile at that. “Seriously, she would have known which were Bettina’s housekeeping days and would have never done anything to harm her.”

  “Good point.” She selected a key from the ring and reached for the car door. “Well, it’s been real informative.”

  “You don’t mind my staying around for a few more days then?”

  She gave a shrug. “Have at it.”

  I realized I needed to pee worse than anything in the world and the greasy condition of Woody’s shop interior didn’t bode well. The Horseshoe was such a short distance away that I hopped in the Jeep and drove over. I almost pulled up in front of Cabin 10 when I remembered that Selena had switched keys with me this morning and I was moving into number two. I dashed in and used the facilities. Relieved, I went back out to the car and brought in my lone duffle bag and purse. I’m not the kind of traveler who moves lock, stock and barrel into a motel. It had taken all of three minutes to load up, and now it took less than two to do my usual minimal unpacking.

  Michaela
had succeeded in one thing; she’d made me consider Amanda and Earleen’s rivalry. Not that I believed for a second that Amanda had what it took to bring herself to blow up her father’s house. She simply didn’t seem vindictive enough or focused enough. I felt sure her fourth graders loved her fuzzy demeanor and faint driftiness. It made her likeable. But she’d have to be hiding a lot more steel somewhere in her petite frame to plan and carry out arson and murder.

  That said, I still had to consider that if there was one person in the world Amanda hated enough to kill, it was Earleen. And the feeling was mutual.

  Perhaps another visit with the widow would be in order. I cruised past Frank’s house, saw no vehicle out front, and tapped on the door anyway. Maybe Earleen was home alone. No such luck. Frank answered, clearly freshly up from an interrupted nap, and he mumbled something about where she’d gone. I didn’t catch it before he closed the door. I didn’t stay around to find out more.

  I drove past the elementary school, circled by the bank and grocery, past Jo’s. No sign of the Olds. Cutting in past the community center, I took the parallel street to the north and spotted a flash of powder blue in the next block. The Olds was parked in front of Billy Rodman’s house and I braked the minute I realized it.

  The brothers should still be in jail. I sincerely hoped their friendly judge hadn’t set a bond they could meet, since this time the crime involved a sizeable burglary and attempted break in. Surely the evidence of the knife near my cabin door would hold them awhile.

  Chapter 23

  While all this ran through my head, I spotted movement at the front door. Earleen, wearing a brilliant orange and lime green top and orange leggings, stepped out and turned to lock the door with a key. I eased up behind the Olds, cut the engine and got out.

  “Hi there,” I said.

  She started and shot me a look when she realized who’d spoken. “What do you want?”

  What did I want? Did I expect her to admit her hatred for Amanda was strong enough that she’d gone to great lengths to blow up her own house? That didn’t make a lot of sense. I remembered Michaela’s initial suspicions and took a different tactic.