The Root of Murder

by Lauren Carr

  “Boom!” Joshua threw up in hands in a gesture of an explosion.

  “Boom?” Poppy asked.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” J.J. said.

  Breathless with excitement, Izzy asked Joshua, “What happened?”

  “J.J. took Madison,” Joshua said. “According to Tracy, Heather went a little crazy. She called up a boy from that school who had a thing for her and charmed him into taking her so that she could keep an eye on them.”

  “I smell trouble,” Cameron said.

  Frowning, Joshua shook his head. “Oh, it was bad.”

  J.J. hung his head. “Do we really have to talk about this?”

  “You can’t stop in the middle of a story.” With a grin, Poppy turned to Joshua. “How bad was it?”

  “How bad was it?” Laughing, Joshua threw down his fork. “Let’s see. It was so bad that the police were called in.”

  “Dad, I want this woman to marry me.” J.J. pointed to Poppy. “I was outside when the first punch was thrown.”

  “Cat fight, huh?” Cameron asked. “Over J.J.?”

  “Tracy knew it would be all-out war when both girls showed up in the same dress,” Joshua said.

  The women cringed.

  “Heather bought her dress from an exclusive dress shop in Beaver,” J.J. said. “She paid four hundred dollars for it. Witnesses in the bathroom said Heather threw the first punch after Madison told her that she bought her dress at J.C. Penney’s for eighty dollars.”

  “Both dresses got shredded in the fight,” Joshua said, “and J.J. got four stitches.”

  J.J. shook his head. “No, that was the fight where I got the black eye. I got the four stitches during the Christmas formal when I got hit in the face with a punch bowl.”

  “I thought you got the broken wrist at the Christmas dance.”

  “No, the broken wrist happened at the dance recital in the spring,” J.J. said.

  “And the broken ribs?”

  “That was prom.” In response to Poppy’s questioning expression, J.J. said, “At which point, I dumped them both.”

  “Whatever for?” Cameron asked with a laugh. “The three of you seemed to be having so much fun.”

  “Doctor’s orders,” Joshua said.

  “Funny,” Poppy said. “You never told me you were a cheat.”

  “They never do,” Cameron said.

  “I’m not a cheat,” J.J. said. “I honestly could not decide between them. Madison was a lot of fun. Heather was so serious, so focused. The cheerleading and dance lessons—she did them strictly for her resume. She honestly did not know how to just have fun. With Madison, I could just cut loose.”

  “So you liked Madison,” Cameron said.

  “But I couldn’t have a serious conversation with Madison,” J.J. said. “She didn’t like books or studying. She couldn’t see past tomorrow—except that she was going to New York as soon as she graduated. When I’d ask about specifics—like where are you going to live and what are you going to do for food—” He lifted a shoulder. “She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.”

  “When you felt like being with a woman who you could talk to,” Poppy said, “you’d ditch Madison and take up with Heather.”

  “More or less.”

  “That doesn’t sound quite fair to Heather and Madison,” Cameron said. “How long did you bounce back and forth between them? It sounds like your entire junior year.”

  “I’m not a cheat,” J.J. said. “I was up front with both of them.”

  “And he didn’t get one bit of enjoyment out of two women fighting over him,” Joshua said with a sly grin.

  “You were a heel,” Izzy said.

  “I know,” J.J. said with a sigh.

  “Going back to the murder case,” Joshua said, “when you think about it, John Davis was really good.”

  “He was rotten,” Cameron said. “He went beyond J.J. here. He didn’t just date two women, he married them and started whole families without either of them knowing it.”

  “I know but think about it. Both girls took dance lessons at the same dance school for years. They dated the same boy for almost a full school year. Yet, no one realized that they had the same father.”

  “Didn’t these girls’ father ever have that talk with you when you went to pick them up?” Cameron asked J.J. “You know the talk. ‘Mess with my daughter and I’ll break your kneecaps.’”

  “I’d met Heather’s dad. I mean, Davis was a friend of Dad’s. But I’d never met Madison’s father. He was a truck driver and always on the road.”

  “Wouldn’t you think the Whitakers would have had pictures of Shawn up at the house?” Recalling the Newhart home, Cameron shook her head. “Their grandparents had pictures of Madison and Sherry, but not Shawn.”

  “Some people are camera shy,” Joshua said. “When you think about it, it wasn’t really that hard. Whitaker was always on the road, which gave him an excuse to never be at any events where both families were likely to show up.”

  “Never allow his picture to be displayed where the other family was likely to see it,” J.J. said.

  “Two completely different cell phones. Thus, separating all contact between the two families.” Cameron cocked her head. “Do you really think his wives didn’t know? We’re talking about a deception that went on for close to three decades.”

  In silence, they exchanged glances.

  “I was just a little kid when my mom was cheating on my dad—right before he went missing,” Poppy said in a soft voice. “I remember once, Dad and I were doing chores in the barn. Mom came out. She was all dressed up. She said she was going to some sort of meeting or something. I don’t even remember where she said she was going. When she left, I saw this really sad expression on my dad’s face. It was just a glimpse. Years later, when I realized what had been going on, and folks told me that Dad had no idea about her cheating on him—I remembered that expression. His heart was breaking.” She nodded her head. “He knew. He may have never told anyone. He may never have even admitted it to himself, but he knew.” She raised her eyes to look at Cameron and Joshua. “It’s called blissful ignorance for a reason.”

  Chapter Ten

  Poppy gathered her school supplies and left for her GED class as soon as she had finished dinner. Izzy went to her room to work on a school project. As usual, Irving and Admiral followed her, their favorite human.

  After seeing Poppy off, J.J. went back into the house to tell Joshua and Cameron good-night. He found them in the study. Joshua sat behind his desk. His cell phone rested in the center of the desktop.

  Cameron held a brandy snifter to J.J. “Your father is calling Tracy.”

  J.J. took the glass. “What for?” He took a sip of the brandy.

  “Confirmation,” she said with a wink.

  Tracy’s voice floated from the speakers. “Hey, Dad! What’s up?”

  “I’m here with your brother and Cam. We’re calling for some information.”

  “What about?”

  Cameron interjected, “Is Hunter there with you?”

  “He’s sleeping. He’s got the early shift tomorrow. I’m decorating a cake for a birthday party. Oh, J.J., he’ll meet you at the house after work to help you with whatever you need done. Text him if you need him to bring some of his tools.” She shifted back to the reason for the call. “Why are you asking about Hunter? Do you need me to wake him up?”

  “No,” Cameron said. “This is about my investigation and we need our conversation to be on the DL.”

  Tracy let out a girlish squeal. “Tell me more.”

  They exchanged glances. Wordlessly, they asked who should lead, how much to divulge, and how to extract information from Tracy without accidentally leading her in what could possibly be the wrong direction.

  Cameron plunged in. “Tracy,
did you know that Sherry Whitaker reported her husband, Madison’s father, missing?”

  “No.” She gasped. “When did he go missing?”

  “Sherry told us that the last time she saw him was Friday morning,” Cameron said. “He was driving a rig cross-country to Montana. He calls her every night when he’s on the road and she hasn’t heard from him.”

  “Maybe he had an accident,” Tracy said. “But then, if you believed that, you wouldn’t be talking to me on the down-low, would you?”

  “Smart girl,” J.J. said.

  “Our question for you is simple,” Joshua said. “Have you ever met Shawn Whitaker?”

  “No. Why?” Tracy replied.

  “You were friends with Maddie,” J.J. said.

  “You dated Maddie,” his sister countered.

  “And I never met her father,” J.J. said.

  “Are you saying he doesn’t exist?” Tracy laughed. “Like that movie Psycho. Sherry Whitaker dresses up as a truck driver and goes around knifing unsuspecting dog owners who come to her for training.”

  “That actually seems more believable,” Cameron muttered.

  “Tracy,” J.J. asked, “you’ve been to their house—”

  “So have you.”

  “Do you remember ever seeing pictures of Maddie’s dad?”

  “Yes,” Tracy replied. “They have a picture of him standing in front of his big rig.”

  J.J., Cameron, and Joshua exchanged questioning glances while she rattled on.

  “It’s in the book case in the corner of their living room. Maddie’s mom said he was very proud of his truck.”

  “I remember that picture now that you mention it,” J.J. said. “It was a full picture of the truck—trailer and all.” A sly grin crossed his face. “He looked small and blurry because the truck was so big.”

  “Not a clear picture of him, huh?” Joshua asked.

  “He was wearing a cowboy hat, too,” J.J. said.

  “Sherry and Madison probably insisted on having a picture of him,” Cameron said. “He chose to have it taken with his big rig knowing that his image would be too small to be recognizable.”

  “What’s this about?” Tracy asked.

  “Have you ever met Shawn Whitaker personally?” Cameron asked.

  “No. But then, I’ve never met a lot of my friends’ parents when I was in school, especially at the dance school. Most of the fathers didn’t go to the recital because it was a mother-daughter type thing. Dad, you went to the dance recitals. How many fathers did you see there?”

  “Not many,” Joshua said. “Maybe one or two. I remember now that John Davis never went near that dance studio.”

  “Heather’s dad? What does he have to do with this? Are you thinking Derek killed Maddie’s dad, too?”

  “Did you ever see Maddie’s and Heather’s mothers together?” Cameron asked.

  Tracy scoffed. “They were from two totally different worlds. Kathleen is extremely organized. You think I’m organized? She’s beyond that. Total workaholic. Driven and all about appearances.”

  “Like Heather,” J.J. said.

  “Sherry is like Maddie,” Tracy said. “One day at a time. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Sherry Whitaker thinks nothing of going out of the house without makeup and her hair combed. Though, I have to admit, she still looks good. She’s one of those natural beauties. She says, ‘This is who I am. Deal with it.’ She lets the dogs she’s training run loose in the house, jump on the furniture, kiss her on the lips. She’s loads of fun.”

  “I remember that,” J.J. said.

  “Kathleen would have a stroke if one of her puppies peed on her expensive oriental rug.”

  Cameron shot a questioning glance at Joshua. “Puppies?”

  “Sherry is a dog trainer,” Tracy said. “She’s also a breeder. A good one, too. She breeds champion Bichon Frises.”

  “Like the one who took a liking to your father’s leg the other day,” Cameron said.

  “That’s the breed,” Tracy said. “Yes.”

  “And Heather said her father just showed up with Munster one day,” Cameron said. “I wonder where he got him.”

  “Heather told me after you guys left that Munster had been a show dog, though she had her doubts because he’s so unruly,” Tracy said. “He chipped his tooth and the owner couldn’t show him anymore. The trainer told John. Luke had been begging for a dog, so he bought him. Paid over twelve hundred dollars for that little terror.”

  “And Sherry Whitaker is a dog trainer,” J.J. told Cameron in a low voice.

  “Speaking of Maddie’s dad,” Tracy said. “She once told me that she’d be too embarrassed to have her father show up at one of her recitals because her parents couldn’t keep their hands off each other. He traveled so much and anytime her parents were in the room, they’d be touching and kissing and calling each other pet names. Worse than you and Cam, Dad. Now tell me what this is about.”

  “We’re thinking John Davis was Shawn Whitaker,” J.J. said.

  There was a long silence on the other end of the call before Tracy responded. “Excuse me?”

  “Tracy, you can’t tell anyone about this,” Cameron said in a firm tone. “It’s important to our investigation. Dental records confirm that the body found at the Newhart farm was Shawn Whitaker. Fingerprints are a match for John Davis.”

  “Which means Shawn Whitaker was John Davis,” J.J. said. “That means Maddie and Heather are half-sisters.”

  “Here’s the million-dollar question,” Joshua said. “Did his wives know?”

  “We have not told either family and we’re not going to yet,” Cameron said. “If the motive was because of Davis’s double life, then we’re hoping the killer will give themselves away by revealing that they knew about it.”

  “Sherry Whitaker and Kathleen Davis only came together at the dance school,” Tracy said. “That was six years ago. Their daughters hated each other. They had never been to each other’s houses. If Maddie had been to Heather’s house, she would have known instantly because they have family pictures all over and John is in a lot of them.”

  “I’m willing to bet John Davis got Munster from Sherry Whitaker,” Joshua said.

  “Sherry would never have let that dog go without knowing if he was going to a good home,” J.J. said. “That tells me that she did know.”

  “Sherry wouldn’t hurt a flea,” Tracy said. “Kathleen? Maybe.”

  “Obviously, John Davis is very good at lying,” Joshua said. “He had to be in order to have pulled this off for so long. He must have come up with a good story to get Sherry to arrange letting him have that little white monster.”

  “I don’t think Munster came from Sherry,” Tracy said. “He wouldn’t act the way he does if she had trained him.”

  “Not necessarily,” J.J. said as he refilled his drink. “The Davises never had a dog. Dogs are the same as horses when it comes to training. You put someone who knows nothing about horses on a horse, and that horse will walk all over them because they know they can get away with it. Put someone who knows horses on, and that rider will be in control.”

  “I talked to a witness who heard Davis arguing with two women on the night of the murder,” Joshua held out his snifter to J.J. to refill. “One blonde. The other was a brunette.”

  “And he had two wives,” J.J. said. “If Kathleen the brunette found out about Sherry the blonde—”

  “Kathleen knew all about Derek threatening him,” Joshua said, “and she knew where he lived to plant the knife.”

  “Oh, I don’t like where this conversation is going,” Tracy said. “Heather is my friend. So is Maddie.”

  “Why dump the body at the Newhart farm?” J.J. asked.

  “To point the finger at her rival, just in case we didn’t buy Derek as a prime suspect,” Cameron said.

 
; “The killer must have known about John Davis’s triple life,” Joshua said.

  “Triple life!” Tracy gasped. “What other friends was Davis deceiving?”

  “Was it really a triple life?” Cameron asked. “We saw that apartment. It was more like a halfway house. Davis would go there to change from one identity to the other. He used the name Bishop Moore because he needed a name for the lease.”

  “That’s where he was murdered,” Joshua said. “Whoever killed him knew about that apartment.”

  “There’s another suspect,” Cameron said. “One who knew about that apartment.”

  “Who’s that?” Joshua asked.

  “Bea Miller.”

  “Is this a third wife?” Tracy asked.

  “No,” Cameron said. “Bea Miller used to work at the plant. She filed a sexual harassment complaint against John Davis. Unfortunately, she had a very long history of filing sexual harassment grievances and sexual assault charges against men. For that reason, her allegation went nowhere. She ended up unemployed and lost her house. According to both Davis’s assistant and Sherry, he had been receiving threatening phone calls from a woman named Bea for the last four months.”

  “Wait a minute,” Joshua said. “Sherry is married to Shawn Whitaker. How would she know about Bea if Bea is connected to Davis’s life?”

  “Shawn explained the calls as coming from a warped woman who he had helped after her car had broken down,” Cameron said.

  “But we found two cell phones on the dresser at the apartment,” J.J. said. “It looked to me like he kept his two lives separated all the way down to his phones.”

  “You’re right,” Cameron said. “John Davis and Shawn Whitaker had two completely different phone numbers. The only way Bea Miller could have called Shawn Whitaker’s phone was if she knew about his alternate life and got access to that phone number.” A slim grin crossed her lips. “Bea Miller’s last known address is across the street from Davis’s safe house.”