“You’re in a chipper mood, considering you just flew across half the country,” Jake said. “Did you sleep all the way home?”
“I wish,” I replied, looking at the clock on the wall. “It’s 1:30 a.m. out there. Shouldn’t you be asleep, or accosting a nurse?”
“Actually, Garth and I are planning a prison break.”
“I’m pretty sure your mother won’t let that happen,” I laughed. “So why are you calling me?”
“I just wanted to make sure you got home.”
“Uh huh, right. In that case, I got here in one piece, and I’m just fine. Good night.”
“Hold it!”
“That’s what I thought. What do you really want?”
“Did you see the message I sent you?”
“Saw it as soon as we landed.”
“What do you think?”
“T.J. and I agreed it certainly gives Barbara a good motive for murder,” I said, “but we don’t have any proof.”
“When is Roosevelt going to talk to her?”
“We’re going to visit her tomorrow afternoon.”
“What do you mean ‘we’? He’s taking you with him? Is he out of his mind?”
“It’s not like I gave him much of a choice.”
“Crenshaw, you’re not going to go with him. Absolutely not. That’s his job; you let him handle it.”
I took a deep breath and counted slowly to ten. “Jacob Mathias, I will not let you, or anyone else tell me what I can, or can’t, do. Don’t even think about arguing with me, or I will come back there and take out your appendix with no anesthesia.”
“Did you threaten T.J. in a similar manner?”
“Not really, but he got the point.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “What are you planning to ask her?”
“Besides directly asking her if she killed Ethan, I have no clue.”
“Remember, Garth told us that she has a Master’s in criminal psychology. If she has anything to do with this, she’s got a plan in place. This isn’t something that was a spur of the moment thing, but carefully planned and executed. She’ll have a contingency for anything and everything.”
“What do you suggest then?”
“Let me think for a minute,” Jake said.
“If we want her to talk, then we need to make her think we are asking for her advice.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Hold on a minute.” I put down the phone, got up and grabbed my laptop. Putting it down on the coffee table, I picked up my phone. “What do we know about her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Does she have any credentials? Has she assisted any police departments or federal agencies with cases? With her degree, surely she would have worked with somebody.”
“Let me send Garth a text right quick…”
“He’s probably asleep. I’ve got my laptop right here.” I did a quick search for her name. “There are a bunch of articles here that mention her profiling skills. Even the FBI has used her before.”
“I wonder if T.J. has worked with her before?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll ask him in the morning.”
“Wish I could hear that conversation.”
“That’s it!”
“What?”
“We get her to profile Ethan’s killer.”
“Do you really think she’s going to fall for that?”
“Why not? I don’t think she’ll be able to resist. If she has been planning this for quite a while, and she hasn’t been caught yet, then she’s going to feel pretty confident about her chances of getting away with it.”
“But if she feels like you are trying to trap her, she could act out. You could get hurt.”
“I don’t think she’ll do anything with T.J. right there with me.”
“What about afterwards?”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t suspect anything, won’t we?”
I heard him sigh. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“Quit worrying. Everything will be fine,” I replied, yawning. “I’m tired. You need to get some sleep, and so do I.”
“Promise you’ll call me tomorrow and let me know how things go?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Night, Crenshaw.”
“Good night, Jake.” I hung up, and tossed the phone on the table next to me.
Despite the fact that I was in my own bed again, I didn’t sleep worth squat. When the alarm went off at 6:30, I wanted to throw it against the wall. Instead, I shut it off and got up.
I got to the café at 7:15. Mother was supposed to be there at 7:30, so I had a few minutes to make some notes for upcoming articles. Maddie greeted me when I walked in. “Lizzie! Where have you been? I had to throw out three pecan pies because you weren’t around to eat them.”
“I know that’s a lie,” I laughed. “You probably donated them to the shelter, like you do with all the extra pies and cakes.”
She followed me back to my usual table. “Seriously, is everything okay? I haven’t seen you or Jake in several days, and now T.J. and Owen are gone, too.”
“T.J. and Owen came back with me last night. I’m sure they’ll be in here some time today. Jake…he won’t be back for a while.”
“So you finally chased him off, did you?” I looked over Maddie’s shoulder and saw Gladys standing there. “Men will only put up with being used for so long, Elizabeth.”
“Actually,” Mother said as she walked up behind Gladys, “Jake is in the hospital because he and Lizzie were in an accident. Someone tried to kill them.” She walked around Gladys and sat down next to me. “Hello, my angel.”
“Hello, Mother,” I replied, giving her a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“I’m so happy to see you,” she said, a tear in her eye as she pushed my hair to one side. “You should have called me, Lizzie. I would’ve come home in a heartbeat.”
“I know you would have, but I didn’t want to ruin your honeymoon with Jack.”
“Are you two going to eat or talk all morning?” Maddie said. She hurried off, leaving Gladys standing there.
“I’m so sorry, Gladys,” Mother said, getting up and moving to the other side of the booth, “I believe you were berating my daughter about driving Jake away. Please, continue. Tell her how she shouldn’t have left that poor young man lying in a hospital bed with a concussion and no spleen. How she should have put his needs before her own concerns. Isn’t that what you would’ve done?”
“Well, I…that is to say, I…” Gladys stammered.
“At a loss for words? That’s a first. Well, since you have nothing else to tell her, would you mind excusing us? I haven’t seen her in three months, and we have a lot of catching up to do.”
Gladys opened her mouth, closed it, turned and stomped back to her table.
“And you always get onto me when I tangle with her,” I admonished her.
“You do it to antagonize her. I was raised to insult people politely.”
Maddie brought a Dr Pepper for me, and coffee for Mother. “Your food will be ready in a few minutes.”
After she left, Mother reached across the table and put her hand on top of mine. “How are you doing?” she said, glancing at the fading bruises on my wrist.
“Physically or emotionally?”
“Both.”
I took a drink. “Physically, I hurt all over.”
“No broken bones?”
“A few stitches, plenty of bruises, but nothing broken, I promise. Jake’s hurt worse than I am.”
“What do the doctors say about him?”
“Well, besides a splitting headache, various bruises, and lack of a spleen, he’ll be fine. When I talked with him last night, he was planning to make a break for it.”
Mother laughed. “It sounds like he is starting to feel better.”
“I’m sure the nurses will be sorry to see him go.”
Maddie placed our plates in fro
nt of us. “Enjoy, ladies. Let me know if you need anything else.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes. “What about emotionally, Lizzie?”
“Like I’m on an endless roller coaster.”
“Just what has been going on while I’ve been away?”
Sighing, I took a drink, and then told her everything that had happened the last few weeks, including Harold’s death, how Gladys was accused of murder, and how I reluctantly helped get her off. Mother’s face turned pale as I talked, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. “We still don’t know who killed Ethan, but we have a few suspects. He certainly left a trail of victims in his wake.”
“His father doesn’t sound much better,” Mother said.
“He’s not,” I said.
She let me finish eating before she asked her next question. “Have you been to a counselor yet?”
“No.”
“Why not?” she said. “This is more than any person can handle, Lizzie. You need to talk to somebody. If you don’t, it will eat you alive.”
“I talked to Jake about it a few nights ago, but I’m not ready to go to a stranger and spill my guts yet.”
“You know you can always talk to me.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I know, Mother, and I love you for offering. But this isn’t something I could even talk to you about.”
“What does T.J. say?”
“The same as you. As soon as we find Ethan’s killer, I’ll think about it, but not before.”
“You shouldn’t be involved in the investigation. Leave it to T.J. and Owen.”
“I told her that last night,” T.J. said. He leaned over and gave Mother a kiss before sitting down next to me.
“It’s so good to see you, T.J. Thank you for taking care of her while I was away.”
He looked at me. “She hasn’t really let anyone take care of her. I’d swear she was British, with that stiff upper lip she’s been showing everyone.”
“This investigation is the only thing that is keeping me from going off the deep end,” I said quietly. “As weird as that sounds, considering what Ethan did to me, but it’s true. So you can either let me keep sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong, or you can watch them haul me off to the loony bin. Your choice.”
T.J. and Mother looked at each other for a minute. “All right, you can see this through,” T.J. said. “But when this is over, we’ll go to a counselor.”
“We?”
“You and me, Lizzie,” he said. “We’ll do this together, however long it takes.” His phone rang, and he looked at the display. “Excuse me, I’ve got to take this.” He got up and moved to another table.
“That man is a keeper, Lizzie,” Mother told me as she picked up her purse and stood up. “I’ll be right there with you, too.” She gave me another kiss. “I’ve got to run. Call me later to set up dinner for the four of us.”
I watched as she stopped at Gladys’ table and said something to her. Whatever it was made Gladys’ face turn bright red. Mother merely smiled before she went to the register, paid for our food, waved at me and left. “I wonder what she said to her,” T.J. said as he sat back down.
“I have no idea, and I really don’t care. So what’s the game plan for today?”
“I’ve got some things to check on at the office this morning. I’m planning to call Barbara and make an appointment with her. That way we make sure she’s home when we go over there.”
“Good idea. I did some checking on her last night. Apparently, she’s consulted with the FBI on a few cases. You’ve never worked with her?”
“Not that I remember. I’m going to call Hopkins and see what he’s found on her. What are you doing this morning?”
“Well, since Jake is out of action, I’m going over to the newspaper to talk to Ellen. I’m going to need her help until he comes back.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
I grabbed my bag and started to follow him. Gladys stopped me when I got close to her. “Elizabeth, I…”
“What is it, Gladys?”
“I…I just wanted to say…” she stammered. I could tell she was trying hard to find the right words to say.
“You want to say what?” I replied.
She took a deep breath. “I owe you an apology. I jumped to conclusions without knowing all the facts, and I’m sorry. I’m glad that you and Jake are going to be fine.”
“Thank you, Gladys, that’s very kind of you to say. I’ll pass your message along to Jake the next time I talk to him.”
She didn’t say anything else, just nodded. I took that to mean I had been dismissed and left. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when Gladys would apologize to you, or anyone, for anything,” T.J. said when we got outside.
“Me, either.”
“Whatever your mother said to her must have been pretty good.”
“She probably threatened to blackball her from the country club or something,” I laughed as I got my keys out.
“I’ll pick you up at your place after lunch.”
“We could eat something at the house before we go.”
“I’ll bring something with me.” He put his hand on my cheek. “I meant what I said in there, Lizzie. I’ll help you through this. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you; I hope you know that.”
I put my hand on top of his. “I know, and I appreciate it.”
He leaned over and kissed me. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
He watched me drive off. As I headed for the newspaper, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was ever going to be ready to talk about what had happened.
And if T.J. would really stick by me…
Chapter 32
“I read the article that you wrote last week,” I told Ellen as I sat down in the chair by her desk.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” she said. “I’ve written a lot of articles in the last week.”
“The one about sexual harassment in the workplace.”
“Oh, that one,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “What did you think?”
“It’s good.”
“Awesome.”
“But I think you can go further.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you talked about sexual harassment. But what about actual sexual assaults?”
“I wanted to know what you thought of this article first before I tackled that issue. That’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish, one that is worse than the harassment.”
“Start doing the research,” I said. “There are predators out there that have dozens of victims, and somehow, they get away with it. How many victims don’t get the help they need? Why isn’t more done to stop the ones that are repeat offenders? What resources are available to the victims?”
Ellen grabbed a notepad and started making notes. “All good questions. Do you know any women who might be willing to talk to me?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“I just assumed that you had some people lined up. It’s obvious you’ve been thinking about this for a while.”
“Your article made me think of it.”
She looked at me with a critical eye. “As a seasoned reporter, I know when I’m being fed a line of bull. And you, my dear, are shoveling it out. What’s the real reason you want me to do this?”
“Because people need to be aware of what goes on right under their noses.”
Ellen leaned closer to me. “Or could it have to do with the rumors that have been flying around the last couple of weeks?”
“What rumors?”
“That Ethan Winthrop assaulted you, and you killed him because of it.”
“I see. And what did you say to people when they told you that?”
“That I didn’t believe you killed him.”
“No, I didn’t kill him.”
“But…?”
“But what?”
She sighed. “Did he assault you?”
I motioned for her to follo
w me outside. “What exactly are they saying?”
“It depends on who you ask. Most believe that you threw yourself at him in the hopes to get money for the newspaper to keep it going.”
“And what’s your opinion?”
“I think the bruises you are hiding under that long sleeved shirt, the fact that you won’t go into your office, for whatever reason, means something did happen between you and Ethan.” I chewed on my lip, unsure what to say. “I’m going to tell you something that very few people know. When I first started out as a reporter, I went to a conference where there were very few women. Despite my promise to myself to keep my wits about me, I had a little too much to drink that night. I found myself cornered with the editor of a well-known newspaper. Well…you can imagine what happened.”
“Ellen…”
“Don’t feel sorry for me, young lady. I’m a survivor! Granted, I didn’t feel that way for quite a while. I’m sure that’s the way you feel right now. Give yourself time. Lean on your family and friends; don’t shut them out. I did that, and it cost me the love of my life.”
“I appreciate the advice, and I’d just as soon no one else know about this. You know how people talk around here.”
“I shudder to think what would happen if any of the Gossip Queens found out.”
“Gladys would hound me out of town.”
“See, that’s a stigma that needs to be stopped. That the victim was asking for it. People stared at me for months, whispered behind my back, or avoided me altogether. I finally moved away, and ended up here.”
“Are you okay doing an article on sexual assaults?”
“I think it’s a good idea. I’ll start doing the research today.
“Great, then I’ll let you get to work.”
“Lizzie, if you need to talk…”
“You’ll have to get at the end of the line with that offer,” I smiled. “There’s about five or six people ahead of you.”
As we turned to go back inside, I heard someone call my name. It was T.J. “We’ve got a problem.”
“Anything I can do to help, T.J.?” Ellen teased him. “Something an older, more experienced woman can deal with?”
“I knew a woman like you once, Ellen. She taught me everything she knew, and when she was done with me, tossed me out like yesterday’s garbage. Turned me off older women for life.”
Death Vetoes The Chairman (Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries Book 7) Page 24