“Of course,” Wednesday seconded.
“She was barred from becoming a detective,” Frank continued. “And McMillan blames me for ruining his daughter’s career and his dream of a family of officers. It’s obvious he’s had a vendetta against me for quite some time.”
“But, he’s blaming the wrong person,” Griffin said, putting a fist on the table. “He should be mad at his daughter for cheating. Not at you for trying to uphold the integrity of the force.”
“Logically, that’s true,” Frank agreed. “But fathers don’t like to blame their children.”
“But he’s a cop. He’ll still do his job, won’t he?” asked Griffin. “If he does some investigating, he’s sure to find evidence that points to someone besides Wednesday.”
“He will still do his job, but we have to admit that there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that implicates Wednesday,” Frank said grimly. “She was found by both of the dead women and had blood on her hands.”
“I was checking for signs of life,” Wednesday said, sounding dismal.
“I know,” their dad replied. “I know you didn’t kill anyone. But I think Detective McMillen wouldn’t be unhappy if they made a case against you.”
Willow listened to the exchange, but she had been lost in her own thoughts as well. Hearing the story of how Megan McMillen had embarrassed her father made her breathe a silent sigh of relief that she had quit trying to become a detective when she did. Her mistake as an intern on the Pineview Police Force had been terrible – a suspect had been tipped off by her actions.
She kept thinking how grateful she was that her error had never come to light. She was glad that she hadn’t embarrassed her father on the force.
She was just thinking what a good thing it was that she didn’t go further into detective work when her father said, “Willow, I’d like to ask you to investigate these crimes.”
“What?” Willow asked, thinking she had misheard him.
“I’m afraid that McMillen might try to hang this on Wednesday out of revenge. I need someone to look at this case objectively. Or,” he conceded, “objectively enough. I’d be all right with you assuming that your sister is innocent.”
“Because it is the truth,” Wednesday added.
“Since I’ve been put on leave, I can’t do anything via the station,” Frank said. “If I can’t investigate, I need someone who can.”
“You are kinda great at this,” Griffin said, grinning at her. “You saved me before.”
“I trust you,” Wednesday said. “I bet you could figure out who really did this.”
Willow didn’t answer right away. She had intended on poking around and finding some clues to help the police and point them in the right direction. However, now this request felt official. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She didn’t want to make a major mistake like she had when she was an intern with the police. It still haunted her that the culprit had been able to elude capture because of her error. What if something like that happened again? Could she live with that guilt?
But on the other hand, she couldn’t not try to help her sister, regardless of the circumstance or her doubts. She couldn’t let Wednesday be railroaded for something she didn’t do.
Not knowing about her secret mistake from her past, Griffin must have thought that the cause for delay was because of how busy she’d said she was earlier.
“Don’t worry about the dog gym,” he said gallantly. “I can watch it and make sure everything runs smoothly. That way you can devote as much time as you want to the investigation.”
“Well, of course, I’ll help Wednesday,” Willow said, realizing she needed to say this out loud.
She wasn’t going to leave her sister hanging – especially if she was the only suspect the station had.
7
“You’re my favorite sister.”
“Thanks,” Willow responded wryly. “I’m your only sister.”
“No. I mean out of all the sisters in the world, you’re my very favorite one.”
Willow smiled at her tipsy sister who was setting up her spot in the guest room for the night. After Willow had agreed to investigate the case, the mood at the table had lightened a bit and Wednesday had poured herself some generous glasses of wine.
“You might like me even more,” Willow said, before setting Wednesday’s cat on the bed.
“Rover!” she cried, hugging the cat who began licking her face.
“I know you wouldn’t want to leave her home alone all night if you stayed with me,” Willow explained. “So I went and got her for you.”
Willow knew she would have to apologize to Telescope later for bringing Rover over unexpectedly. He and his “cousin” had a complicated relationship. Though he would defend her to the death from any other dog who wanted to chase her, he would get annoyed by some of her antics. He especially hated when she tried to bury any of his bones with her retractable-clawed paws.
“Thank you for picking up Rover,” Wednesday said gratefully as she sat down. Rover and Telescope began vying for positions to try to cheer her up. “And for letting me sleepover when I am sad and have had too much wine. And for trying to clear my name.”
Willow moved closer to the bed and found a spot that wouldn’t disrupt the animals.
“Griffin doesn’t mind, does he?” Wednesday asked as she leaned back.
“No. He knows we need some sister time. Though before he left, he did tell me to make sure “the boss” knew he would be in bright and early at the dog gym.”
Wednesday giggled. “He’s a good guy.”
Willow agreed, but there were other things she needed to discuss with her little sister.
“Wends, I think we need to talk,” she said gently.
Wednesday propped her head up on her arm to look at her better. “I’d like to. I don’t like to admit this, but I’m pretty scared about everything that’s going on. Do you think McMillen could really hate Dad so much that he’d let me go to jail?”
“I don’t know,” Willow said. Even though she wanted to reassure her sister, she thought it was best to be honest. “But if you want me to get to the bottom of this, you’re going to have to tell me everything.”
“You know everything.” Wednesday groaned. “I just went to talk to Patricia and to get my nails done and I found them like that.”
“That’s not everything though,” Willow said with an edge of sternness in her voice. “When I spoke to Cassandra at the boutique today, she said that you had given Becca information about the robbery.”
“She did?” Wednesday asked, looking away.
“You told Becca that it was Patricia who identified Daniel Blakemore as the robber?”
Wednesday shook her head. “No. It was the owner of a shop down the street who told the police. And there was footage on his security camera to prove it. Daniel Blakemore was so enamored with his own good looks that he couldn’t keep his mask on for more than a block. At least, that’s what it looked like on camera. He was shaking his hair like a model as he made his getaway.”
“That does seem cocky,” Willow said, wondering if this behavior during one crime could translate to other more murderous ones.
“Becca was really upset about the robbery. Which I can understand. The salon was raided.”
“I wouldn’t like it if it happened at my dog gym,” Willow admitted. “Though I mostly just have Kibbles ‘n Bits here.”
Telescope looked up for a moment, but realizing that this was hypothetical food, laid his head back down to rest.
“Then, Becca was even more upset when she heard that her ex, Daniel, had been arrested for it. She told me this sob story about how she felt betrayed. And she wanted to know if there was really any evidence against Daniel. She claimed that she just needed to get over him if this was true, and that she really needed to know.”
“So you told her?” Willow asked. She hoped this didn’t sound too much like a reprimand because she wanted to keep her sister talking.
However, she thought this sounded like police information that wasn’t supposed to be shared.
“I didn’t name names,” Wednesday replied. “But I did tell her that a business owner had the information on tape. I know I shouldn’t have. But she seemed so upset. And it can be very intimate when someone is painting your nails. You want to help that person get over her lousy thieving ex.”
“I guess so,” Willow said, trying to be supportive. “I wonder why Cassandra thought you told her.”
“I’m not surprised she got the info wrong,” Wednesday said with a shrug that caused Rover to jump. “Becca thought that Patricia might have been the one to rat on Daniel. She wondered if it were out of jealousy because Daniel had been dating her.”
“And I guess that’s how he learned that the nail salon was doing well financially,” Willow remarked. “Because it wouldn’t have been my first thought on the best place to rob.”
“And,” her sister added, “the gossip that circulates at the salon isn’t always entirely accurate. I wonder what else they’re saying about me right now. They’re probably trying to think of examples in my behavior to prove what a cold-blooded murderer I am.”
Wednesday shuddered and the two animals rubbed against her soothingly. Willow patted her arm, but wasn’t going to let this discussion end.
“How well did you know these two women?”
“Well,” Wednesday said, playing with her sheet. “I knew them in high school, but we didn’t travel in the same circles. I’ve only gotten to know Becca in the last year or so since she started running Polished. But it’s a superficial relationship. We just talk about beauty regimes and I listen to a little gossip. The only real thing I told her was about the robbery, but it was very unusual. At the time, I thought I was helping her… Now I’m afraid I helped contribute to her death.”
“I think it’s possible that the robbery and the murders are linked,” Willow admitted. “But, tell me about Patricia.”
“I knew her better than Becca. I’ve worked with her before.”
“You said that earlier, but I don’t know what you mean.” Willow pressed, “You worked with her at the station?”
Wednesday took a deep breath. “Patricia owns a maid service.”
“I remember her talking about it at the wine party we went to,” Willow said. “She had just won a five-star award.”
“Which I’m surprised by because I heard that she doled out good cleaning treatment based on how much she liked you. Just the sort of thing she would have done in high school. But that’s beside the point. Her maid service dealt with a different kind of dirty laundry.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that Patricia kept track of everyone’s secrets in town. She told her maids to keep their eyes and ears open, and combined with Patricia’s already-established ability to hone in on rumors, she knew everyone’s skeletons in their closets. In fact, she kept files on them.”
“To blackmail her customers?” Willow asked incredulously.
“I’m not sure what she did with all the information. Maybe she just liked to hold it over certain people’s heads. Maybe she extorted some people for money. Maybe she tried to receive special favors. Maybe she just wanted to keep the files for insurance.”
“But you said you worked with her?”
Wednesday hugged her pillow and looked away. “Sometimes Patricia would share information with the police. She said she did it if it were for the greater good, but I know this meant that there was nothing else in it for her. I’ll tell the detectives we had an anonymous tip and they would check it out. It always ended up being true. Patricia was always right.”
“If she shared information with the police before, that could be why Becca thought that she did it again. And that she revealed that Daniel was the robber.”
“Maybe.”
“And,” Willow continued, “if she really did keep files—”
“She did! I saw them.”
“Well, that might be another motive for her murder. Someone could have wanted to protect their secrets. Or they wanted to stop some extortion.”
“It’s possible,” Wednesday said. “I like that it’s another option other than me being the most likely suspect. But if I had to put money on it, I’d guess Daniel Blakemore was behind the murders.”
Willow scooted a little closer, conspiratorially, even though it was just the two of them in the house. Or four, if you included the pets, which she did.
“After talking to Cassandra, I started to wonder if it could be Daniel. He might have thought Patricia was behind his arrest too and wanted revenge. And he might have wanted to quiet Becca because she knew things about the salon he robbed. It’s starting to sound like he found all his former girlfriends disposable too. I think he’d be a strong suspect. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s in jail.”
“I don’t think that matters,” Wednesday said, sitting up for emphasis. Telescope and Rover gave her grumpy looks. “He could have just ordered the hit on them from prison.”
“Ordered a hit?” Willow scoffed. “What is he? Part of the mob?”
“Kind of.” Wednesday nodded. “He has family that is deep within organized crime. It didn’t seem like Daniel was too involved in it. This robbery appears to be his first big heist. But he definitely had the necessary connections if he needed to.”
Willow didn’t know how to respond to that at first. It was scary to think that someone in Pineview could be related to the mob, and that they could be ordering hits on women. However, then she focused on the positive.
“This is great news, though,” she said. “This makes him a great suspect in the case. The police are sure to find some link between him and the murders.”
Wednesday shook her head glumly. “Nope. It doesn’t look like the police are looking into him at all.”
“Why not?”
“I guess because McMillen wants me to be guilty.” Wednesday sighed. “You know how Detective Denton looks up to Dad? He thinks of him like a mentor or something.”
Willow nodded.
“Well, Detective Denton has been keeping Dad updated on the case when he can. I mean, he doesn’t know everything because he’s not partnered with McMillan on it. But he knows that there were no plans to interview Daniel Blakemore.”
Willow clenched her fists. This was ridiculous. Any potential suspect should be interviewed, and an ex-boyfriend of both victims with ties to the mob would certainly have made her short list of people to talk to. Could McMillan really be so vindictive?
“Do you want to get some warm milk to help us sleep?” Wednesday suggested.
“Good idea,” Willow agreed. They were going to need it.
8
Willow sat in the visitors’ room of the jail and looked around. She was making a promise to herself that she would not let Wednesday get sent here when she was alerted that the prisoner she wanted to see was about to be brought in.
She allowed herself a little smile. It turned out that it wasn’t too hard to arrange a meeting with a low-level criminal when you’re also the police chief’s daughter.
She placed her hands on top of the table and waited for Daniel Blakemore to be escorted in. Her first thought when he entered the room was that, even in an orange jumpsuit, he was very handsome. Her second thought was that he knew how handsome he was.
His hair was just long enough to run your fingers through, he was muscular, and he had a charming smile. Willow thought there might be a trace of sadness behind his eyes but, at the moment, confusion was more evident.
“Hey there,” he said, pausing as if her name might come to him. “You. It’s good to see you.”
“I’m not sure we’ve ever met. My name is Willow Wells.”
“Nice to meet you, Willow,” he said with charisma oozing out of every pore. “So, tell me, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"
Willow tried to mask the disbelief she was feeling. Daniel Blakemore was incarcerated but was acting like he was on va
cation and was even hitting on her. What was going through his mind? Why was he so unconcerned about his surroundings? Did he believe that his mob ties would be freeing him from jail shortly? Did he think the deaths of Patricia and Becca meant that he was home free? Was it possible he was a sociopath?
“I’m here about Patricia Virladi and Becca Henry,” Willow said evenly. “I’m a friend.”
“You knew them?” Daniel asked. “Then, you know that they’re dead now?”
“Yes, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I want to find out what happened.”
Before Willow was able to say anything else, Daniel’s lower lip began quivering. He quickly brushed away some tears that were forming in his eyes, and he looked around the room as if daring anyone to say anything. No one else (well, besides an impassive guard) was paying attention to them. Willow began to dismiss the idea that he was an unfeeling sociopath.
Then, Daniel leaned against the table, trying to look like a tough guy, but admitted, “I loved her very much.”
“Which one?”
“Well,” he said as if it were obvious. “All of them.”
“All of them?” Willow challenged. “Patricia and Becca?”
“And Cassandra too,” Daniel said, appearing lost in a memory. “There’s something special about the person, or people, that you fall in love with in high school. You’re all so young, but the feelings are pure. It’s not complicated by the realities of life yet. And what I had with those three was special. Those ladies would have done anything for me. Do you know what that’s like? To be loved like that? It’s a gift.”
Willow wasn’t a fan of this speech - the content or the man behind it.
“You dated all of them?”
“Well, not at the same time,” Daniel explained. “It was clear that they were all into me in high school. It was cute to watch them fight over me.”
The Bark of the Town Page 6