Death Vetoes The Chairman (Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries Book 7)

by Teresa Watson

  “Why not?”

  “Can you see me driving something like that?”

  “Well, honestly, no, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. You can afford nice things now. You should treat yourself.”

  I put the papers back in my bag and sat down in the recliner. “No.”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “Why not, for crying out loud? Give me one legitimate excuse for not living it up now that you can afford to?”

  “Because I am not you. Need I remind you how she got the money?”

  “Hm, you do have a point. However, that’s her sins, and she’s paid for them. Her sins have nothing to do with you.”

  I just stared at him, because I had no comment. The materialistic Jake was back. Thankfully, the doorbell rang at that moment, and I jumped up to open the door. “I sure hope this is T.J.,” I muttered.

  It wasn’t. It was Nicole from Blooming Elegance, a new flower shop located in the town square, holding an enormous bouquet of flowers. “Hey, Lizzie, how’s it going?” she said. “Could you sign line seventeen, please?”

  “Not bad.” I took the clipboard from her while Jake took the flowers. “How’s it going at the shop?”

  “Pretty good,” she replied, taking the clipboard from me. “I was already closing up when I got the call for this order. He was pretty insistent that it be taken care of today. Even paid me extra for it.”

  I felt a chill go down my spine. “Did he give his name?”

  “Yeah, someone named Winthrop. I gotta go. Kelly is waiting for me at home. Night! Hi, T.J., bye T.J.,” she said as they passed each other on the sidewalk.

  “Take care, Nicole,” he said. “What was she doing here?” His hands were full with bags from our local Mexican restaurant.

  “Making a delivery,” I said, closing the door behind him. Jake had put the flowers on the coffee table, and I looked around for a card. I found it attached to a ribbon on the front. Pulling the little card from the envelope, I quickly read it. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Jake took the card from me. “What does it say? ‘I’m sorry about this afternoon. I look forward to seeing you soon, Ethan.’”

  “Save the card,” T.J. said as he came in from the kitchen. “We’ll add it to the file.”

  “Flowers aren’t exactly harassment, T.J.,” I pointed out, “although in this case, it’s just flat out creepy.”

  “Are you going to stay here for a while?” Jake asked T.J. “I need to run an errand.”

  “I’m planning on sleeping on the couch tonight,” he said.

  “Probably a good idea,” Jake nodded. “I’ll be back in a little while. I’m going to call Henderson and talk to him about the restraining order.”

  “You don’t have to come back, Jake,” I said.

  “I won’t stay long.”

  “Would you do something for me before you go?”

  “Sure, what?”

  “Pick up those flowers and follow me.”

  Jake looked at T.J., who shrugged. Jake picked up the flowers while I opened the front door, and led him out to the driveway behind his car. T.J. watched us from the front porch. I started taking the flowers out of the vase with my left hand, placing them on the ground behind his left back tire. Five handfuls later, the vase was empty. Jake dumped the water out and handed me the vase. “Now what?”

  “Didn’t you say you had somewhere to go?”

  “Well, yeah, but…”

  “See ya, Jake,” I said. “My supper’s getting cold.” I gave him a very pointed look. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I nodded. He whistled, shook his head, and got into his car. Putting it in reverse, he ran over the flowers, stopped, and pulled forward again. “Just wondering if you want me to bring back some dessert.”

  “Whatever floats your boat, dude,” I told him.

  Grinning, he saluted, put the car in reverse and ran over the flowers again. I waved as he drove away, and looked down at the decimated pile of mulch. T.J. came over, took the vase from me and looked down. “Nice,” he laughed. “Glad I didn’t send you flowers after we broke up.”

  “I would have shredded them on your front porch.”

  “Yikes,” he said. We headed back inside. “What did the doctor say?”

  “Nothing broken. The bruising is just really deep. He gave me some anti-inflammatories to help with the swelling.”

  “It’s certainly not the worst you’ve ever been hurt, but I still don’t like it one bit,” he said, putting the vase down on the coffee table.

  “I’m not worried,” I told him, going into the kitchen and digging through the take out bags.

  He started getting silverware and napkins out. “What is Jake up to?”

  “I have no idea. He’s been working on something since we were at the café.”

  “You went to the café?” he said, sounding surprised. “How did that go?”

  “Fine.”

  “Uh huh. Was Gladys there?”

  “You brought queso and guacamole, great!” I said, pointedly ignoring his question.

  “So that’s a yes. Do I even want to know?”

  “Hm, chicken fajita nachos! You’re spoiling me here.”

  “That bad, huh? Well, since you’re still wearing the clothes you had on when I left the office, I’m guessing she was the one that had to go home and change.” I mumbled an answer with my mouth full of nachos. “You want to try that again after you finish chewing?”

  Swallowing, I said, “There might have been a glass of tea involved.”

  “Just a glass?”

  “The glass might have been a pitcher.” He laughed. “What did you find out this afternoon?”

  “Well, several women have filed charges against Winthrop, but a couple of days later, they’ve withdrawn them.”

  “Is he paying them off?” I said, spooning some guacamole onto a nacho.

  “Beats me,” he replied. There was a scratching sound at the back door. “Do you want me to let them in?”

  “Not until we’re done eating. Mittens doesn’t need any Mexican food. She had a stomachache for two days after she ate that cheesecake during the county fair.”

  We moved the bags over to the counters and sat down at the table. “So, what else is new?” he asked as he started eating.

  “I bought the newspaper from Dale,” I said, quickly eating another nacho.

  T.J. started choking on his enchiladas. I realized we forgot to get something to drink, so I jumped up and grabbed some water from the fridge. After taking a drink, he cleared his throat and said, “You what?”

  I took a Dr Pepper out of the fridge for myself and sat back down. “I bought the newspaper from Dale.”

  “You used the reward money for it? Wow, I didn’t think you were ever…”

  “No, I didn’t use it. It’s still sitting in my savings account in the bank.”

  “I’m confused.”

  I went into the other room to get Debra’s will. “Here, read this,” I said when I returned.

  He didn’t say anything as he took the papers. I continued eating while he read. By the time he was through reading, I had finished my nachos, and was dipping chips in the queso. “This is a joke, right?” he said. I shook my head. “And Dale knew about this the whole time?”

  “Well, he’s known for a while apparently.”

  “So you used some of the money to buy the paper?”

  “And an ambulance.”

  “Excuse me? An ambulance?!”

  Whoops, this was one of those “I shouldn’t have said that, now how do I get out of it” moments. “I decided to do something good with some of the money. I heard about a small town that needed a new ambulance, so I made a donation.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “No, I’m not. Why would I joke about donating $140,000?”

  His mouth fell open. “$140,000? Have you lost your mind?”

  I glared at him. “No, I don’t think so. Considering where the money came from, and how she got i
t, I think using it for something good is a great idea. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Well, no…”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it you who encouraged me to take the reward money from the FBI after I shot her to death to save you and Hopkins?”

  “Well, yes…”

  “Then you don’t have any right to tell me how to spend what I’ve inherited. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I’m going to make the best of the situation. And if I decide to give it all away, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it!” I stood up from the table, grabbed two helpings of dog food and treats, and went out the back door, slamming it shut behind me.

  Babe was in her usual spot by the shade tree, but when Mittens saw me come out, she came running over to me. I gave her a treat, poured the food into their outdoor dishes, got them some fresh water, then went and sat next to Babe under the tree. Mittens brought her tennis ball to me, and I threw it for her until she got tired. She ate some food, drank a bunch of water, then wandered over and plopped down next to me, putting her head on my leg. Taking a deep breath, I leaned back against the tree. I shouldn’t have yelled at T.J. like I did. It wasn’t his fault. Well, maybe a little, but this was a whole new situation for me, and it was a lot to take in all at once.

  And then there was Ethan Winthrop. Just thinking about what happened this morning made me physically sick. Had it really just been a few hours ago? It all seems like a blur. What made men like him think that money and power gave them the right to do whatever they wanted? I thought about what Dr. Adams said, about fighting back. It just seemed like a natural instinct. I was lucky. What about the women who weren’t so lucky? How did they cope? What kind of safeguards were in place to protect them when they needed help? Who stood up for them when they were too tired to fight anymore?

  T.J. came outside and stood on the deck. “Are you still mad at me?” he said as Mittens ran over to him.

  “I don’t think I was really mad at you, per se,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s been a rough day.”

  He nodded. “May I come sit with you?”

  “Sure.”

  He walked over and sat down next to me. “Do the bruises hurt much?”

  “Some. Dr. Adams gave me something for the pain along with the anti-inflammatory I mentioned before. I’ll live. I’m a bit ambidextrous already, although I can’t write with my left hand worth squat.” I reached into my back pocket, pulled out the card and handed it him. “He also gave me this.”

  He took the card from me. “I’m familiar with this group. They do good work.”

  “He wants me to go, talk to them about what happened, and how I fought back. He said it might help someone else.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. What do you think?”

  I shook my head. “I can’t see myself talking to a group about this. It’s not something I really want to relive at the moment.”

  “You don’t have to do it right now, but it might be something to think about down the road.”

  “But I’m not a victim, T.J. It’s not like he…well, you know.”

  He gently took my right hand and held it. “This bruise isn’t here because you tripped over a slab of concrete, Lizzie.” He put my hand down and pulled up the sleeve of my shirt. “And these aren’t here because your shirt’s too tight. Someone physically attacked you, and we both know his intentions were less than honorable. That’s assault, Lizzie, and whether you like it or not, that makes you a victim.”

  Well, that was calling a spade a spade, wasn’t it?

  Chapter 9

  Thanks to a full moon, the backyard was well lit. If it had been dark, T.J. would have shot Jake and his lawyer, Stephen Henderson, when they came in through the side gate. “What are you two doing back here?” Jake asked. Mittens ran circles around him, then went over and sniffed Henderson’s shoes. When he didn’t bend over and pet her, she came over and sat next to T.J.

  “Just sitting,” I replied. “Good to see you again, Mr. Henderson.”

  “Ms. Crenshaw, I’m sorry we are meeting again under these circumstances.”

  “I’m not sure anyone has ever met a lawyer under the right circumstances.”

  He laughed. “Very true.”

  “Why don’t we go inside where we can talk?” Jake said. “I don’t think Stephen wants to sit on the ground in his suit.”

  “Help me up.” I held out my left hand, and he pulled me to my feet, and then pulled T.J. up as well. I gave the dogs their last of the treats.

  “Got anything for the humans to eat?” Jake replied.

  “There’s some chips, salsa and queso left from supper,” T.J. offered.

  “Any sopapillas?” T.J. nodded. “Good, I’m hungry.”

  My kitchen isn’t that big, and to have three tall men sitting at my small table was rather comical looking. So we used the table as a buffet, laying out the chips, salsa, queso, sopapillas, and sandwich fixings, then we set up the TV trays around the seats in the living room. I thought this kind of food wouldn’t be up to Mr. Henderson’s usual standards, but he dug right in, like he was in his man cave, getting ready to watch football. I made sure everyone had food and drinks before we got down to business.

  “First of all, call me Steve; none of this Mr. Henderson stuff. Second, do you have the recording still?”

  “It’s in my bag.”

  Jake, who was sitting in the recliner, reached over, grabbed my bag and handed it to me. I dug out the phone, and gave it to T.J., who pushed a few buttons. We listened to the whole recording. I winced when I heard the audible thud of me being pushed into the wall. The office door slammed open, and the grunting of Winthrop as T.J. punched him twice echoed around the room.

  “So, he knew he was being recorded and kept talking anyway. That’s a plus for our side. His lawyer is going to rip him for failing to shut up after you told him you were recording the conversation.”

  “Ethan was never one who knew when to shut up,” Jake retorted.

  “I understand there were some injuries,” Steve continued, ignoring Jake.

  “Upper arms and right wrist,” I told him.

  “Do you have a doctor’s report and pictures?”

  “I believe Dr. Adams was going to send it to Owen.”

  “Ah yes, Sheriff Greene. I’ll be checking with him first thing in the morning. I’ll have that TRO before 10 a.m., Ms. Crenshaw.”

  “Lizzie, please. Thank you very much for doing this on short notice.”

  “Are things always this exciting in your small town?”

  “Depends on what day of the week it is,” I joked.

  After the laughter stopped, Steve said, “Can you send me that recording? I’m going to need that as well, and I don’t think you want me to take your phone.”

  “I’m going in around seven tomorrow morning,” T.J. said, “so I’ll make sure everything is waiting for you when you come in.”

  “Excellent,” Steve replied, putting his legal pad back in his briefcase and standing up. “Oh yes, one more thing. Keep a low profile in the morning while I’m doing all this, Lizzie. Another thing to remember: everything that goes on in court usually becomes public record. People are going to know about this. You need to brace yourself and think about how you are going to handle the looks and questions you’re probably going to get.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” I admitted. T.J. put his hand on my leg as a show of support.

  “It’s something you need to think about. Do you have some family that you can stay with?”

  “My mother just got remarried, and they are on an extended honeymoon. Frankly, I don’t think she’s ever coming home. She’s been gone three months already.”

  “Well, it’s up to you how you deal with this, although as your lawyer, my advice is not to talk about it. We don’t want to do anything that will damage the case, for the prosecution as well as our chances with a civil lawsuit.”

  “I didn’t say anything about suing h
im.”

  Steve looked around my living room. “You should consider it. You could buy a new house with the money we’re going to get from him.”

  “This is my grandmother’s house,” I said tersely, “and I don’t need the money. I have more than enough.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “Apology accepted.”

  “Well, I better go. I’ve got briefs to prepare before morning. I will see you in the morning, Deputy Roosevelt. Jake, let’s get together soon. Preferably some time when you don’t require my professional services. Always a pleasure to see you, Lizzie. I’ll be in touch.”

  After he left, I asked Jake, “Is he always that arrogant?”

  “Steve? Actually, that was pretty understated for him. You should see him in court. He’s not a bad guy, and he’s a great lawyer. If I was in trouble, he’s the one I’d call.”

  “Good to know.”

  “You said you were checking into a few things about Ethan,” T.J. reminded him. “What did you find out?”

  Jake’s face fell. “I made a few phone calls to make sure I had my facts straight. I know what I remember, what I believed then, and still believe now.” He paused for a minute, trying to keep his emotions under control, before continuing. “Ethan and I grew up together. I won’t say we were best friends, but good friends. Both of our families are very rich, so naturally we hung out with the same social circle.”

  “When I was seventeen, I fell in love with a girl, Jessica Mangrove. She was pretty, but she was also funny, caring, kind, and I enjoyed being around her. We dated over the summer, and into the start of the school year. Ethan had been in Europe that summer, doing who knows what. When he came back, he found out about Jessica, and made it his mission to woo her away from me. And he finally succeeded. Their first date was the homecoming dance, but they never actually made it to the dance. After their date, I could tell Jess was different. She was withdrawn, quiet, wearing baggy clothes and not interacting with anyone, which was totally different from the girl I knew. It took a few days before she told me what happened. He had tried to…” Jake choked up, but I knew what he wasn’t saying. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I encouraged her to file charges. Drove her down to the police station, and sat with her while she told them what happened. It was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, and one of the worst things I had ever heard and sat through.”