Murder in Vail

by Moore,Judy

  Detective Belton took the cell phone printouts and put them back in her file.

  “Mr. Sherman, if your mother-in-law was out of the picture, you and your wife stood to inherit over $650 million. For a man in your financial position, that was more than enough of a motive to commit murder.”

  Glen’s eyes flared. He grabbed hold of the table and pushed himself up.

  “I want a lawyer, and I want to see my wife!” Glen demanded, beginning to pace the room again. “I don’t want her hearing all of this garbage from you without hearing my side of it too. I’m not saying another word to either one of you until I see a lawyer.”

  Chapter Fifty-six

  Lance was in his element. He spent the entire flight down the mountain sitting in the seat beside the pilot, leaning over to compare notes with him about flying, discussing the latest in helicopter technology, and telling him stories about flying in Los Angeles.

  Yvette filed her nails, Stephen seemed lost in thought, and Helga sat with her back to the others, staring out the window. Goldie and Silver stretched out on the floor at Stephen’s feet. Duchess was in Yvette’s purse, and the bigger dogs were so distracted by all the activity that they didn’t even seem to notice her.

  When the helicopter landed, waiting police cruisers piled their luggage in the trunk and drove them to the Marriott Hotel less than a mile away. Goldie and Silver were taken to a kennel near the police station.

  When they reached the hotel, Stephen immediately called his mother’s room from the hotel lobby. Thrilled to hear his voice, Sally said she would come down to the lobby right away to see them. Gwen, she told him, was still at the police station.

  When Sally stepped out of the elevator, Stephen ran to hug her. Lance and Yvette weren’t far behind.

  “It’s so good to finally be able to hug you all!” Sally cried. “It was so horrible not knowing who I could trust and who I couldn’t trust.”

  Helga waited until the family was done and then stepped forward. “Sally, happiest day of my life when you walk into that room. I so happy you alive.”

  “Oh, Helga. That means so much to me. You’re such a dear friend.” They gave each other a long hug.

  “Mother, come sit down,” Lance said, leading her to a large sectional couch in the lobby. “How are you feeling? Did the doctor check you out?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. No damage was done.”

  “And your wrist?”

  “Just bruised. Not a sprain. It’s almost healed.”

  “How is Gwen?” Stephen asked. “In shock, I imagine.”

  “She’s devastated. Absolutely devastated. She’s waiting to get the rest of the details from Detective Jackson and is hoping to get in to see Glen this afternoon.”

  “I’m sorry for Gwen, but I hope they put him away for life,” Stephen said. “My poor Rachel.”

  Sally looked sympathetically at her son and put her arm around him. “My poor Stephen. Thank God they found out who did it.”

  “Can you imagine being married to a murderer?” Yvette said, cringing. “Poor Gwen.”

  She sat down next to Sally and took hold of her hand. “I’m so glad they found out who did this to you, Sally. It doesn’t surprise me at all that it was Glen. I just want you to know that I’ll do everything I can to help Gwen get through this.”

  Touched, Sally said, “Thank you, Yvette. That’s very sweet of you.”

  Lance spoke up. “Do you know what evidence they have on him? Why was he arrested?”

  “Well,” Sally told the group, “It looks like they have him dead to rights. His hair was found on both beds. DNA showed it was definitely Glen’s. ”

  “DNA?” Lance said. “Wow.”

  “You know, I never liked Glen very much,” Stephen said. “Didn’t like the way he treated Gwen. I always thought he just married her for her money. Then he was so extravagant in spending it. Did you see that watch he was bragging about? It cost over a hundred thousand dollars!”

  Yvette agreed. “He wasn’t nice to her at all. I’m glad they caught him.”

  Sally glanced across the room and her eyes lit up as a tall man crossed the lobby toward them.

  “Sally!” Robbie cried, wrapping her in a tight hug. “My God! I’ve been so worried about you since I read about what happened in the paper. How are you?”

  “I’m better now,” she said, smiling and self-consciously smoothing back her hair. “It’s been quite an ordeal. But they’ve made an arrest, so it’s almost over.”

  The others stood by curiously, watching the two of them talk.

  “Oh, where are my manners? Robbie, these are my sons Stephen and Lance, Lance’s wife Yvette, and my friend Helga.”

  They all shook hands, and Yvette whispered to Sally, “I’ll bet he’s the hot one, isn’t he?”

  Sally tried not laugh and nodded slightly.

  “And where’s Gwennie?” Robbie asked.

  An uncomfortable silence followed. “She’s at the police station, Robbie. Her husband has been arrested.”

  “Oh gosh. Poor Gwen. I hate to hear that.”

  “It looks like they have DNA evidence on him,” Sally told him.

  Robbie shook his head. “Well, at least they caught the culprit. They should throw him in jail and throw away the key for what he did to you and your family.”

  Sally nodded. “Thank you, Robbie. It’s been quite an ordeal.”

  Robbie stepped forward to give her another comforting hug, and Sally noticed over his shoulder that both of her sons were frowning. As they continued their conversation, Lance and Stephen kept eyeing Robbie suspiciously. Sally could see that they were making him uncomfortable.

  “Well, I need to be getting back to the store. I heard you were staying here and just wanted to stop by to see if you were doing okay. Remember, I’ll be giving you a call in a few days about that dinner.”

  Sally smiled self-consciously. “Thanks for stopping by, Robbie. I’ll talk to you later this week.”

  After Robbie left, Yvette was all smiles. “Sally, he’s really nice. And handsome too!”

  Stephen and Lance exchanged glances, but neither said anything. They just looked like they were glad he was gone.

  Chapter Fifty-seven

  Gwen’s head was spinning when she left Detective Jackson’s office. He’d told her everything, and she thought she might pass out right there in his office. Walking down the hall, she broke into a cold sweat and found a ladies room where she splashed water on her face.

  How could Glen have done this to her? All those lonely nights, waiting for him to come home. What a fool she’d been. She had trusted him, given him access to all of her money, loved him. Loved him so much. And he had betrayed her—had been betraying her for years. And then, if that wasn’t enough, he tried to kill her mother for her money!

  “He’s damn lucky he’s locked up,” she said to herself. “Or I’d kill him myself.”

  Gwen had spent most of the day trying to find a good criminal lawyer for him, convinced of his innocence. She’d been waiting all day to see Glen to find out how she could help him. Now, the only reason she wanted to see her husband was to give him a piece of her mind.

  She sat down on the hard chair in front of the glass window in the visiting room of the jail at the police station and waited. She was determined not to cry. He had taken every other ounce of dignity from her. He wouldn’t get that too.

  After about twenty minutes, Glen was led in. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and he wore an orange jump suit. When he saw Gwen sitting there, his face broke into a relieved smile.

  He grabbed the phone. “Gwen, I didn’t do this. I promise you, I didn’t do it.”

  Gwen listened but didn’t respond. She just stared at her husband.

  “Gwen,
I need a lawyer. A good one.”

  “I got you a good lawyer. He’s supposed to be one of the best in Colorado. He told me he would come by later this afternoon to talk to you.”

  Glen hung his head. “Oh, thank God. Thank you, honey.” He put his hand up on the glass for Gwen to touch the other side. Gwen just crossed her arms in front of her, stared at his hand, and didn’t move to touch it. He frowned a little and took his hand down.

  “Gwen, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t try to hurt your mother. I love your mother like she’s my—”

  Gwen cut him off. “You seem to love a lot of women.”

  “What?”

  “Two hundred and thirty-five text messages, not just to one woman, but two! No wonder you spent so much time down at the marina.”

  “Now, Gwen, they’re just friends—”

  “I especially liked the text about how you were going to ‘divorce the bitch as soon as the money came through.’”

  “Now, honey, I was just mad. We had just had a fight and—”

  “How could you, Glen? How could you?”

  “You know I love you, honey. That night we met at the Delano bar in South Beach was the best night of my life. You looked so beautiful, so classy. I looked at you and said to myself, ‘That’s the woman I’m going to marry.’”

  He waited, expecting a reaction, but didn’t get one. She had heard that line many times before.

  So he continued, “It’s just that sometimes, well, you can be kind of hard on me, Gwen.”

  He stopped to gauge her response. When she said nothing, he continued. “You get on my back about little things. That’s tough on a guy after a while.”

  Gwen knew what he was saying was true, but that’s just the way she was. He knew what she was like when he married her.

  Gwen told him, “I may not have always shown it, Glen, but I loved you so much. You know that.”

  Glen let his head drop. “I know,” he murmured.

  “I wish you had talked to me about it, Glen, and not just gone out and had an affair.”

  Glen looked up, hope entering his eyes. “You’re right, honey. Of course, you’re absolutely right. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  Gwen bit her lip and was determined to hold the tears back. She would not cry!

  “Having an affair is one thing, Glen, but trying to kill my mother!”

  “I didn’t do that, Gwen! You have to believe me. I was shocked when they arrested me.”

  “Glen, seriously? They have DNA evidence. And they found the pillow you used under our bed. You’re such a liar, Glen.”

  She rose to leave. “No, Gwen, no! Don’t leave. Wait, wait. Please! Sit down. I’ll tell you …I’ll tell you the truth.”

  More curious than caring at this point, Gwen remained standing, waiting to hear what he had to say.

  “I admit it. I was a philanderer. Yes, I had an affair. We weren’t getting along, and I gave into temptation.”

  “An affair? One affair?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  Glen hesitated. Gwen could see that he didn’t want to tell her. She turned to walk out.

  “Ok, I had two, well, three affairs. I’m not proud of it.”

  “Three affairs!” Gwen screamed at him. “We’ve only been married for four years.”

  Glen looked at her desperately and pleaded, “I know I’ve been a lousy husband, and if I ever get out of here I promise you, Gwen, I’ll never stop trying to make it up to you. But Gwen, I am not a murderer. I promise you on a stack of Bibles that I did not kill Rachel. I don’t know how the DNA got on those beds. I’m innocent.”

  “Well, Glen, innocent or not, you’re on your own now. I hired you a good lawyer, who you can pay for by selling your damn boats. I’m done. I’m not coming to visit you, and I’m not accepting any phone calls from you. I’m going to get myself a lawyer too—a divorce lawyer.”

  Chapter Fifty-eight

  The Braddock family went to dinner that night at their favorite place, a quaint Italian restaurant overlooking the creek that flows through downtown Vail. Helga was invited, but chose to stay at the hotel and order room service. She’d had enough of the Braddock family.

  Everyone thought Gwen would beg off too, but she seemed more eager than anyone to go out to dinner and talk about anything except Glen. When she’d gotten back to the hotel that afternoon, she told her mother about Glen’s affairs, and asked her to tell the others. They would learn soon enough from the police, she knew. Gwen just didn’t want to talk about it anymore than she had to.

  “I’m getting a divorce,” she announced after their drinks had been delivered.

  “Here, here,” Lance said, raising his wine glass. “The best thing you could do under the circumstances.”

  “And, I’ve made a decision. I’m moving back to Vail.”

  Sally almost choked on her champagne.

  “Are you moving in with Mom?” Stephen asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

  “Whoa,” Sally said, raising her hands. “Let’s slow down. Gwen, I’m thrilled that you’re thinking of moving back to Vail, but living together? No, no, no. That’s a little too close for comfort. We need at least a few miles separating us.”

  They all laughed, Gwen louder than anyone. “You’ll be happy to hear, Mom, that I’m going to sell the house in Palm Beach and find a place I can afford here with the proceeds. And I’m not asking you for another dime.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Sally replied, “because you wouldn’t get it. I haven’t changed my mind on that topic.”

  The table became quiet, and Stephen broached the subject that was on everyone’s mind.

  “Are you still planning on giving the big donation to that foundation?”

  “Absolutely,” she answered quickly. “Now more than ever. The money has only brought us problems—and now death.”

  She reached over and patted Stephen’s hand. “I’m going to give the donation in Rachel’s name, Stephen. The money will help so many people around the world with their health care and educational needs. It will help build schools and hospitals for underprivileged children.”

  “Oh, Mom,” Stephen said, his eyes misting. “Thank you. That’s really something.”

  “When are you doing this, Mom,” Lance asked in a concerned voice.

  “I have an appointment January second.”

  “Now, Mom,” Lance pressed. “Are you sure about this? January second? That’s only five days from now. Can’t you give it some more thought? I mean, I can see giving some money. That’s nice. But ninety-five percent is so much. What if we need—”

  “I’m positive,” Sally answered in a tone that ended the discussion. “I don’t want to hear any more about it, Lance.”

  She turned to face Gwen and changed the subject. “Gwen, what are you going to do when you move to Vail? Have you had time to give much thought to that?”

  Gwen grinned. “You’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but I want to become an EMT and join the ski patrol. I got such a buzz skiing, and I want to do something to help people. I’ve wasted enough time sitting around doing nothing.”

  “Oh Gwen. That is just fantastic,” Sally said. “With a little more practice, you’ll be perfect for the ski patrol. They need fast skiers like you.”

  “I can’t wait to get out there again.”

  “Well,” Stephen suggested. “Why don’t we go skiing tomorrow? What are we doing tomorrow besides sitting around waiting for the roads to be cleared? I was hoping to get in at least one day on the slopes.”

  Gwen’s face lit up. “I would love that. It would definitely help me get my mind off my troubles.”

  “We haven’t had a family ski day in a long time,” Stephen said, looking around the table.

 
Gwen asked her mother about her wrist. “Is it healed enough?”

  Sally rotated her left wrist. “It’s fine. Luckily, it was just bruised and not sprained. I’d love to go skiing. We all need to get our minds off this horrible mess.”

  Lance reminded them that all of their ski gear was up at the house.

  Sally had an idea. “I could call Robbie. He owns a ski store and probably has rentals.”

  Lance frowned. “There are plenty of places around here where we can rent skis. We don’t need to go to this Robbie fellow.”

  “Yes,” Stephen agreed. “There are lots of other places around.”

  “Fine,” Sally said, pursing her lips. Her sons definitely didn’t like the idea of her dating. “Well, where do you want to ski?” she asked. “Blue Sky Basin? Maybe Lover’s Leap?”

  Blue Sky Basin was one of Vail’s three main skiing areas, along with the Front Side and the Back Bowls. All in all, there were nearly 200 trails, half of them for expert skiers. They had so many to choose from.

  “That could be crowded during the holidays,” Lance said.

  “How about the Highline?” Stephen suggested. “There’s less traffic up there.”

  “That’s a great idea. I love the moguls on some of the trails up there,” Sally said of the Front Side ski runs on the more remote eastern side of the mountain.

  “Gwen, what do you think?”

  Gwen shrugged. “Whatever you want. I haven’t skied there, but if you like it, it works for me.”

  “Highline it is!” Sally said. “Let’s rent an SUV tomorrow morning to drive to a rental shop and then out to the ski lift.”

  Yvette, who had been quiet when the subject turned to skiing, spoke up. “I’m not as good a skier as the rest of you, so I think I’ll just go shopping tomorrow. That’s how I’ll get my exercise.”

  They all laughed. The waiter brought the check over, and Lance gave the waiter his credit card. “This one’s on me,” he said. The others thanked him.