by Cindy Bell
“That’s great, Samantha, but wait…”
“And there’s more. I just saw her talking to Peter, I think he must be connected to her, and perhaps he is the one who pushed Ryan off the train…” She paused and winced. “Though I hate to think that he would do such a thing. At least we now have a good idea of who the killer is.”
“Samantha, that is very interesting, but we believe we found the killer.”
“What?” Samantha gripped the phone tighter.
“We went to the address you gave us and it is the home of the girl who Ryan was going to propose to. Only, she wasn’t interested in Ryan at all, he was obsessed with her. We met her fiancé, Cory, who just happened to be on the train with us. We’re pretty sure he’s the one who pushed Ryan off the train.”
“If Cory was on the train and Sandra was on the train, I hate to say it Eddy but I think we have two suspects.”
“Well, Cory is certainly big enough to have pushed Ryan off the train. Let’s not forget that Ryan was young and muscular, he’d probably been working out while in prison. The cloth on the railing indicates that he did most likely struggle, so there isn’t much chance that the woman I saw on the train would be able to overpower him.”
Samantha frowned. “I know. Which is what led me to the suspicion that perhaps Peter is branching out from his private investigation activities into murder for hire.”
“Wow.” Eddy cleared his throat. “I guess we can’t be sure. I’d hate to think that about him, too.”
“It would explain why he keeps trying to scare us off the case.”
“I guess the only thing we can do is follow both leads and see how they pan out. Right now Walt is looking up information about Cory to confirm he purchased a ticket for the train, so we can have proof.”
“I can make some calls about Peter. I think it’s pretty clear that Sandra Banks had an ax to grind, and we know that she was on the train. I want to confirm that she hired Peter. We need to see if we can find evidence to prove that Peter was involved.”
“Involved in what exactly?” The voice came from just behind her. Samantha’s chest tightened.
“Eddy, I have to go.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I’ll call you soon.” She hung up the phone. Then she turned to face Peter. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for a flower show. As I walked by I happened to hear you mention my name a few times. So, what is so interesting about me, Samantha?” He held her gaze. “You weren’t that interested before.”
“Maybe meeting Sandra Banks made me more interested.”
“Who?”
“Don’t play innocent with me. I saw you talking to her. I know that you are working for her.”
Peter stepped closer and looked into her eyes. “What exactly is it that you think you know, Samantha?”
“Pete, I’ve thought you were capable of a lot of things, being a great cop, being a good friend, but never has it crossed my mind that you might be involved in a murder.”
“Murder?” Peter took a slight step back. “Do you really want to throw around accusations like that?”
“What am I supposed to think? You won’t tell me the truth. I know that Ryan is the one who caused your client to lose her fortune. She must have been beside herself with anger that he was let out early.” Samantha tilted her head to the side and studied his features. “Was it that you felt so much sympathy for her and you knew it would just be getting rid of a criminal? Do you think that just because it’s been ruled a suicide, you’re going to get away with it?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. I was wrong about you all those years ago, and now I’m wrong about you again. You never really had a clue about me, did you?”
“I’m not interested in a walk down memory lane, Peter. I just want to know the truth.” A small crowd of people walked past them. Their chatter momentarily silenced their conversation.
When they passed, Peter replied, “Samantha, if you really thought I was a killer, I don’t think you’d be standing here in front of me. If you want to spread accusations about me, that’s your choice. But leave my client out of it.”
“So, you admit that she hired you?” Samantha smiled briefly.
“I’m not saying another word.” Peter spun on his heel and disappeared into the crowd.
***
Eddy stared at the phone with his brows knitted close together.
“What is it?” Walt eyed him. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. It’s not like Samantha to just rush me off the phone like that.” He tapped his phone against his palm, then looked up at Walt. “We’d better get back to the flower show. If Peter is there, and Samantha suspects him as much as she does, they are bound to run into each other.”
“That won’t be good.” Walt shook his head.
“I’ve got the list from Chris of who bought the tickets,” Eddy said as he handed Walt his phone. Chris was a young lab tech that used to work with Eddy at the police station. He had proved himself to be an invaluable contact and friend. “On the way let’s see if we can confirm that Cory was on the train. Also, find out anything you can about a passenger named Sandra Banks.”
Walt nodded and looked at Eddy’s phone. The drive back to the flower show was a quiet one. Eddy hoped that Samantha was safe. He knew that she tended to be much more daring than she should be.
Chapter Eleven
When Eddy and Walt arrived at the flower show, Jo and Samantha waited near the entrance.
“Did you find out anything more?” Samantha frowned.
“No. What about you? Why did you have to get me off the phone so fast?” Eddy raised an eyebrow. Samantha considered telling him about her encounter with Peter, but she didn’t want to. Not just yet. She wanted to find out a little more information before she revealed her true suspicions.
“There was this beautiful flower on display and I didn’t want to miss it.”
“Oh?” Eddy said skeptically. “Was it a cactus?”
“Oh hush.” Samantha frowned. “Let’s get some lunch and regroup.”
The four gathered around a picnic table with an assortment of food purchased from a nearby food truck. Walt ignored his sandwich as he shared what he had discovered.
“I just looked through the ticket and passenger list and Cory Smith did indeed purchase a ticket. However, I found something interesting. Another ticket was purchased only a few hours later by a Mick Smith.”
“Well, Smith is a very common last name. Do you think it connects to anything?” Samantha took a bite of her meatball sub.
“The thing is that the tickets were purchased on the same day a few hours apart. They were also purchased for the same connecting train. That seems like a bit too much of a coincidence to me.” Walt tried not to look at the sauce that dripped down Samantha’s chin.
“Maybe, but it is still a common name. Samantha, could you find out if there’s a connection between Cory Smith and Mick Smith?” Eddy asked.
“I can. After I’m done eating.” She took another bite. Walt looked away and thrust a napkin in her direction. She took it and rolled her eyes.
“Some food is meant to be messy, Walt.”
“There’s something bothering me about this whole thing.” Jo ignored her chicken salad sandwich.
“What is it?” Eddy looked over at her.
“So, we know that Ryan was on his way to propose. We also know that he was on the same train as the woman he went to jail for defrauding. What are the chances of that? I can understand that Cory bought a ticket when he found out that Ryan was getting out, but what about Sandra? Did she just happen to be on the same train as Ryan?”
“You think she knew about Ryan’s release, too?” Samantha’s eyes widened.
“It would make sense.” Eddy nodded. “Usually the victim is notified if the offender is going to be released, especially if it’s an early release.”
“So, Sandra found out about Ryan
getting out and she decided to hop on the train?” Eddy rested an elbow against the picnic table. “Sounds like premeditation to me.”
“I’m still not sure.” Walt shook his head. “I don’t think that she could have done it.”
“I still think we should look into her further,” Samantha said.
“I’m going to call Chris and see if we can get a copy of the suicide note. It should be on the system. Maybe the handwriting will give us a clue of some kind.” Eddy frowned. “It can’t hurt.”
“Good idea.” Samantha nodded. “I’ll look into Sandra Banks.”
“I’m going to eat my food.” Jo grinned and took a bite of her sandwich. Eddy walked away to make his phone call. Samantha used her phone to search for information about Sandra Banks. It was pretty easy to find considering that she was a well-known name in high society at one time. She didn’t work, but inherited her fortune from her family.
“Would you believe Sandra was once honored for making a donation of over one million dollars to a charity?” Samantha shook her head. “She doesn’t sound like someone who was bent on murder.”
“Maybe not, but it’s easy to be generous when you have money. Her life was defined by her wealth. She didn’t seem too concerned about giving it away. That’s probably why she was so easily swayed by Ryan’s con. We know that Ryan took everything from her.” Jo took the last bite of her sandwich. “I’m sorry, but in a way she was asking for it. If you don’t know what it’s like to have nothing, you don’t know how vigorously you should protect your funds.”
“I imagine there are some fiscally responsible people who are very wealthy.” Samantha continued to flip through photographs of the woman. She froze when she came across one picture in particular.
“Actually, Jo is correct,” Walt said. “There are not too many people that are very wealthy that can handle their money. Most have a team of professionals handle their finances from top to bottom. They don’t even buy a pack of gum without someone knowing about it.”
Samantha barely heard him as she stared at the picture on the screen.
“Is that Peter?” Eddy paused just behind Samantha and peered over her shoulder at the phone. “With Sandra?”
“Yes, it is.” Samantha turned her screen off. “We already know that he’s working for her.”
“Hm.” Eddy sat down beside her. “Chris said he didn’t have time to send the suicide note through straight away as he was going to a meeting, but he had a quick look at the note on the system for me. He said the words were not surprising, but that the stationary used was quite distinctive. The paper was light green and it had the letter L as a watermark.”
“Hopefully he’ll send it later,” Jo said.
“What’s next then?” Eddy asked.
“I think we still need to look at Sandra,” Jo said.
“I remember the bartender refused to continue serving Sandra drinks in her room. Maybe if I talk to the steward about the drinks he can tell us what time he delivered them,” Samantha suggested. “That way we can try to piece together where Sandra was around the time Ryan died.”
“That’s a great idea.” Eddy cleared his throat. “Samantha, I have a question for you.”
“Hmm?” Samantha glanced over at him.
“Would it bother you if I looked into Peter’s background? I’m curious about what he’s been up to over the past few years.” Eddy frowned. “If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”
“Why would I have a problem with it?” Samantha shrugged. “It’s fine with me. I’m sure if there is something there for you to find, you will find it.”
Eddy held her eyes for a moment longer and then nodded. Samantha occupied herself by calling the train company office number. She asked to speak with the steward that was on their train. She was given another number to call. She dialed the number and waited for the steward to pick up. She placed a notepad in front of her on the table. The scribbles she drew on the paper were mostly just to distract her while she waited.
“Hello, this is Thomas.”
“Hi Thomas, my name is Samantha. I’m calling you because I need a favor.”
“Were you a passenger on the train?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well, how can I help you?”
“I’d like to know if you can recall serving a certain passenger drinks.”
“I can’t really comment on a passenger’s activities,” Thomas’ voice was drawn out in an attempt to be authoritative.
“Thomas, I’m aiding an investigation into the unfortunate death of one of the passengers on the train.”
“Yeah, that was terrible. But that was a suicide.”
“That’s yet to be determined.”
“Really?”
“I’m not asking for much, Thomas. I’d just like to know if you actually delivered any drinks to Sandra Banks’ room?” Samantha reflected actual authority in her voice. “No stone unturned you know. You don’t want to be the person that impedes this investigation.”
“I thought the police ruled it a suicide?”
“It’s being looked into. So did you deliver drinks to her?”
“Yes, I delivered her some drinks. Not that it matters. There’s no way that she had anything to do with the death.”
“How can you know that for sure?” Samantha listened close as she sensed that Thomas knew much more than what he was saying.
“Hey, I could lose my job for this. I’m not supposed to hang out in passenger’s rooms. I need you to keep this off the record.”
“No problem, I can do that.”
“Well, when I delivered her drink she was crying. She was alone, and I felt bad for her. She was just bawling her eyes out. So, I asked her what was wrong. She couldn’t really talk, so I just sat with her. I was still with her when the train stopped. There’s no way she could have been involved. But like I said, I need this to stay off the record.”
“I understand.” Samantha made a note on her notepad and then tapped her pen against it. Just when she thought everything added up, everything fell apart. “Well, thanks for your time, Thomas.”
“If anyone was involved in the death, I would think it was the guy that was sitting with Ryan in the dining car. They were really having it out.”
“What guy?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know his name. I just went to the bar to pick up drinks and food to deliver to the rooms. I guess it was only about an hour before that I saw them, because I stayed in Sandra’s room after that.”
“What about his room number? Do you know that?”
“No sorry, I don’t. But the bartender might. If he paid the tab then his room number would be on the receipt.”
“Do you know how I can contact her?”
“Sure. I’ll give you her number. But don’t tell her I’m the one that gave it to you. She’s a little funny about her personal information.”
Samantha raised an eyebrow. She expected that might be because Thomas was so willing to give out her phone number. She jotted down the number that he gave her. After she hung up she caught sight of Eddy looking towards her. In an attempt to avoid another conversation about Peter she quickly dialed the bartender’s number.
“Gretta, speaking.”
“Hi Gretta, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’d like to ask you a quick question about something that happened in the dining car this past trip.”
“Oh? How did you get this number?”
“I promise that it will only take a second. Do you remember the man who died?”
“Yes, I saw him in the bar. He was bragging about getting engaged. Tragic.” Her dry tone indicated she didn’t really think it was too tragic.
“Did you notice him getting into an argument with anyone while he was in the dining car?”
“Oh uh.” She paused a moment. “Who is this again?”
“I just need to know if you can recall the other man’s name, or room number. Then I will not bother you anymore.”
“I do remember
him arguing with this guy. I noticed because I’ve been a bartender for a lot of years, and when someone starts fighting, I look for certain things.”
“Like what?”
“Like if they might be carrying a weapon, or if they are wearing heavy jewelry. The guy he was fighting with was wearing a really thick ring. I was worried that he might haul off and punch him, as crowded as the dining car was that could have started a huge fight.”
Samantha made a note about the ring on her notepad. “What about a name? Did you hear any names?”
“All right. It was Rick. I think. No, like the mouse.”
“Mickey?”
“Yeah, but just Mick. I think that was it.”
“Thanks, you’ve been very helpful.”
“Great, now maybe you can tell me who keeps giving out my number.”
“Sorry, bad connection.” Samantha hung up the phone. She knew better than to reveal her sources. “I just found out something very interesting.”
She drew the attention of everyone at the table.
“What is it?” Walt squinted at her.
“It sounds like our Mick Smith had a heated conversation with Ryan before his death. He also wore a very thick ring.”
“Just like his son. Mick Smith is Cory Smith’s father.” Eddy tapped the screen of his phone which displayed a photograph of the two men together. Each wore an identical ring. “I took the liberty of looking it up.” He winked at Samantha.
“So, then maybe Cory’s father went to bat for him?” Jo suggested.
“So maybe they planned the murder together,” Eddy said.
“Let’s not forget that Sandra is a very viable suspect.” Walt wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Where there is money trouble murder often follows.”
“She would be, but Thomas, the steward, confirmed that he was with her the entire time.”
“Is it possible that she bribed him?” Jo brushed her long, black hair back over her shoulder. “It’s not as if that’s unheard of, people have done it to create an alibi before.”
“It’s possible. What’s also possible is that her distant cousin took care of the problem for her.” Eddy slid his phone over to Samantha. “This is what I found when I looked into Peter.”