Murder at the Big T Lodge: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery

by Dianne Harman

  “Roger,” Liz said, “the sheriff agreed to exhume the bodies of Paul Sowers and a woman named Julia. I don’t remember her last name. Anyway, the sheriff and a medical examiner from El Paso are going to Riley in the morning to conduct an examination of their exhumed bodies. The sheriff decided to take this action based on the test results that Sean obtained from the bottle of liquid I sent him. I told you the analysis determined potassium cyanide had been added to the liquid in the bottle that was next to Milt’s body. That, along with the mortuary owner’s strong feeling that Paul and Julia might have been poisoned several years ago, was enough for the sheriff to order that the bodies be exhumed and tested for the presence of toxic chemical substances.

  “It won’t tell us who murdered Milt, but if it’s determined that Paul and Julia were also poisoned, sure makes me think Cassie might have been involved. Plus, there was the photo of the poster I showed you of Milt with the bullseye painted over his heart. Is it a confession? No, but it sure seems to me like some law enforcement officials might think there’s enough circumstantial evidence to start an investigation. So, Roger, what do you think?”

  Cassie didn’t stay around to hear what Roger thought. Her heart was pounding wildly as she stood up and raced down the stairs, her mind frantically searching for something she could do before she was implicated or worse yet, arrested for murder. She walked into the kitchen as Jessie and Zack were finishing up. “Thanks, guys. Looks like you’re done. Have a good rest of the night. See you in the morning.”

  She walked into the pantry where Wes had just finished with his menu preparations for the following day. She glanced at him and said, “Chef, why don’t I come in a little early tomorrow morning and make those chocolate chip bran muffins everyone loves? You’ve been working so hard lately it will give you a little extra time off in the morning.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you, Cassie. I really appreciate it. I don’t think I’ve had a day off in weeks and even a couple of extra hours will probably be enough to re-energize me. I think that’s pretty much everything for tonight. You know where all the ingredients are for the muffins. See you in the morning,” he said, walking out the door and heading for his cabin.

  Cassie opened the laptop where the recipes were stored and pulled up the one for bran muffins. This is the perfect solution to the problem, she thought. She turned out the lights and walked to her car, convinced her plan would work.

  CHAPTER 31

  “Happy hunting,” Liz said to Roger the next morning as he prepared for the early duck hunt. “I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast when you get back.”

  “What’s on your agenda today?” he asked.

  “Not much. I’ll probably finish that book I started yesterday. Matter of fact, think I’ll curl up here in bed for a few hours and do just that. Love you.” She turned on the light above her side of the bed as Roger opened the door and left, ready for his last day of hunting.

  Two hours later Liz decided to get dressed and get a cup of coffee from downstairs. She remembered Jack telling the guests on the first night they arrived that a big pot of coffee was always available in the kitchen after the guests left for the duck hunt. She walked down the stairs and went to the kitchen, Sam by her side. She knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened by Cassie. Sam let out a low deep throated growl.

  “Sam, no. Stop that. Good morning, Cassie. What do I smell? It’s heavenly.”

  “Oh, I’m baking some chocolate chip bran muffins. They’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes. I’ll bring one up to your room when they’re finished.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that. I’m sure you have a number of other things you need to do to get ready for breakfast,” Liz said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “I insist,” Cassie said. “It’s not a problem at all. One of the things we try to do here at the lodge is give special service to our guests. I’ll see you in a little while.”

  Liz carefully balanced her coffee cup so she wouldn’t spill any of its contents on the carpeting on the stairs, which had been custom-made for the lodge and reflected the greens, reds, browns, and greys that were predominant throughout the lodge. She and Sam walked back to her suite, and she sat on the bed, legs outstretched, reading her book and enjoying her coffee. Sam was on the braided rug, his self-appointed bed, and was soon asleep.

  Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on the door. Sam raised his head and growled. Liz shushed him and opened the door to a smiling Cassie. “I’ll put it on the table over there,” Cassie said, walking into the room. The door swung shut behind her, but without a firm hand closing it, it didn’t close completely.

  “Please sit down, Mrs. Langley. I’d like you to enjoy your bran muffin, because it’s the last thing you’ll ever eat,” Cassie said as she turned around, a gun in her hand.

  “What are you talking about?” Liz asked in astonishment, her eyes wide with fright at the sight of the gun in Cassie’s hand.

  A demonic look came over Cassie’s face and she said, “Eat that muffin, or I’ll kill you like I did the other three. You’re going to die a nice death from an overdose of sleeping pills, but first you’re going to write a suicide note to your husband telling him you’re sorry to ruin his trip. You’re going to write that you couldn’t go on any longer, knowing you were living a lie. You’re going to tell him you’ve been hearing a mysterious voice in your head and seeing things that you don’t think are really there. In other words, he shouldn’t believe anything you’ve said lately. Here’s the pen and paper. Now start writing, or I’ll shoot you. I’ll dictate the words. Begin with Dear Roger.”

  Neither one of them noticed that Sam had left the room.

  *****

  When Wes walked into the kitchen he smiled as he deeply inhaled the aroma of the freshly baked muffins. He walked over to his desk and looked at the menu he’d written down the evening before. He looked through the papers again, searching for the one that listed the side dishes he was planning on serving along with the prime rib that was the main course for tonight’s dinner. He couldn’t find it anywhere

  Darn. I put a bunch of stuff in the trash just before I left last night. Maybe I accidentally threw it in there. He walked over to the trash barrel and started pawing through it, looking for the missing piece of paper. He noticed a pill bottle and thought it was strange that a pill bottle would be in the trash barrel. He and Cassie were the only ones who used this particular trash barrel. When Jesse and Zach were hired they’d been instructed to take all of their trash out to the big barrel next to the back door of the kitchen, so the one inside wouldn’t fill up quite so quickly. He read the label on the bottle and felt his blood run cold. Everything came together for him in a single crashing moment, and at the same time he heard Sam growling at the kitchen door. He opened the door and said, “Sam, come! I need you to take me to Liz and Cassie.” The big dog stood there quivering.

  Of course Cassie wanted to make bran muffins this morning, he thought as he reached into the cabinet for the activated charcoal he kept on hand in case a guest inadvertently ate or drank something poisonous. The pill bottle was for sleeping pills. I’ll bet Cassie found out Liz discovered that Milt had been murdered and decided to do away with her. I just hope I’m not too late.

  “Sam, take me to Liz!” he said firmly to the big dog as he grabbed a gun from his desk drawer and stuck it in his pocket. Sam got behind him and nudged him, indicating he was to go upstairs. Wes bounded up the steps two at a time. As they got close to the Langley’s suite Sam began to growl again. Wes held his hand up, indicating for Sam to be quiet. He noiselessly peeked through the slightly opened door and saw Cassie with a gun in her hand standing over Liz, who looked like she was asleep.

  “Drop your gun, Cassie, or I’ll shoot,” Wes shouted. Cassie instantly whirled around and fired a wild shot that missed Wes and crashed into the door jamb. Wes’s shot at Cassie was more accurate, hitting her hand, and causing her gun to drop to the floor. He quickly pic
ked it up.

  “Sam, come! Cassie get down on the floor on your stomach and put your hands out in front of you. Sam, stand guard on Cassie.” The big dog put his two front paws on Cassie’s back, effectively keeping her from moving. Wes was a big man and although Liz was tall, he outweighed her by almost one hundred pounds. He easily slung her over his shoulder and took her into the bathroom. He shoved some activated charcoal down her throat and forced water down it as well, at the same time praying.

  A few minutes later Liz began to gag and as she came to, he forced her head over the toilet. Within moments she shook her head and he heard her say, “Enough. I’m okay.”

  “Thank heavens. Stay where you are for a few more minutes. I need to make sure Sam has a handle on Cassie.”

  He looked out the door of the bathroom and saw that Sam was taking his job very seriously. There was no way Cassie could move with the big dog on top of her.

  “Wes, I’m all right. How did you know to come up to my room?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it later. Didn’t you tell me the sheriff was going to oversee the job of having the bodies of Paul and Julia dug up this morning and then tested by the forensic medical examiner? Is he at the mortuary?”

  “Yes, that’s what I was told by Stanley.”

  “Good. I’ll call and tell him what’s happened. He can come out here and arrest Cassie for attempted murder, and my guess would be for the murder of three more people, namely Milt, Paul, and Julia. Do you have the number of the mortuary?”

  “Yes. My cell phone’s on the desk. It’s in the contacts list. Actually, I feel pretty shaky. I don’t think I can stand up. Could you bring it to me?”

  “Stay where you are. I’ll get it and call him. I want to keep my gun on Cassie.”

  Wes made the call and in less than an hour the sheriff, one of his deputies, and Stanley Gordon raced up the stairs and into Liz’s room. Wes had helped Liz into bed, and she was resting. While the sheriff and his deputy quickly handcuffed Cassie, led her down the stairs, and put her in the sheriff’s patrol car, Stanley said, “I want to hear exactly what happened, but I’ll wait until the sheriff returns, so you don’t have to tell your story twice. I guess you didn’t have a chance to use the gun I gave you.”

  “No, I got blindsided, but it’s a good feeling to know I won’t have to use it. Thanks again. It’s in my purse. Why don’t you take it with you?”

  “I will, since it looks like you won’t need it now.”

  When the sheriff and his deputy had secured Cassie in the back seat of their patrol car and locked the door, the sheriff returned, leaving his deputy to guard Cassie. He asked Liz and Wes what had happened.

  “I went downstairs to get a cup of coffee and smelled something wonderful,” Liz said. “Cassie told me that fresh baked chocolate chip bran muffins would be ready in about fifteen minutes, and she’d bring me one. I didn’t want to trouble her, but she insisted. When I let her in my room she walked over to the table and put the muffin on it. I didn’t see her take a gun from her pocket, but she must have, because when she turned around she pointed it at me.

  “Cassie told me she’d shoot me, if I didn’t write a suicide note to Roger indicating I was more or less mentally unstable, which she dictated. I had no choice. She gave me the muffin, told me to eat it, and then I’d be asleep for a long time. Again, I had no choice, so I ate it. The next thing I remember is looking at the toilet bowl with Wes holding on to me.”

  Wes interrupted and said, “So that’s how she got you to take the poison. Sheriff, I found an empty sleeping pill bottle in the trash when I was looking for a piece of paper I’d misplaced. Evidently Cassie put the sleeping pills in the muffin mix. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he walked over to the door. “I have no idea if the rest of the muffins had sleeping pills added to them, but I better throw them out. Don’t think Jack would be very happy if all of the guests went to sleep permanently after they’d eaten breakfast.”

  “Liz, how are you feeling now?” Stanley asked.

  “Pretty shaky. I think I’ll stay here for a little while. I know my husband and the rest of the hunters will be returning soon for breakfast, but I really don’t feel up to going down and meeting them.”

  Wes hurried back into the room. “Liz, I heard that. When Roger gets back I’ll have Jesse assure him you’re all right and have him come right up to your room. Sheriff, I really need to get down to the kitchen, so I can get breakfast ready. I’m short-handed with Cassie gone. I’ll probably have Jesse help me cook and have one of the guides take Jesse’s place as a server. If you need anything else from me, I’ll be here the rest of the day.” He hurried out of the room.

  “Liz, I’m going to take these muffin crumbs as evidence,” the sheriff said. “They could be crucial to Cassie’s case. As we speak, the bodies of Paul and Julia are being tested for any traces of toxic chemical substances. If it turns out they were poisoned, and from what I’ve seen today, I think there’s a very good chance they were, the advice I’d give to Mrs. Sowers is to get a very good attorney, because she’s going to need one.”

  When the sheriff and his deputy had taken Cassie down to the sheriff’s car, Sam had laid down on the floor beside Liz’s bed, a barrier to anyone who wanted to get near her. Stanley and the sheriff said their goodbyes over the big dog, and Liz assured them she’d rest, and that she was sure she’d feel better in a little while.

  “Mrs. Langley, one more thing,” the sheriff said. “We all owe you a big thanks for being persistent, first in determining that Milt Huston was poisoned, and secondly for persuading Stanley that the deaths of Paul and Julia needed to be revisited. As sheriff, I have the authority to open those two cases up and also to make the determination that Milt was murdered. I’m going to call his widow and tell her we’re certain we’ve arrested the person who murdered him, and I’m also going to tell her your role in all of this. Is that all right with you?”

  “Yes, although I’ve never met her, I strongly believe she deserves to have some closure concerning the cause of her husband’s death. I can’t imagine anything worse than wondering if your husband was murdered before you could even tell him you were pregnant. That poor woman!”

  “I’ll let you know the test results as soon as the medical examiner finishes his work. Now you need to rest. You deserve it and again, thanks!”

  For the next half hour Liz was deep in thought, thinking about everything that had happened during the last few days. It seemed better suited to a movie script rather than a famous hunting lodge in west Texas.

  Liz felt her strength slowly begin to return, and she decided to email Sean and tell him what had happened. She began, “Sean, you’re never going to believe what you’re about to read…”

  CHAPTER 32

  Liz had just put her laptop back on the table after writing a long email to Sean when Roger flung the door open. “Liz, what’s going on? Jesse told me you were up here and wanted to see me. That is so unlike you. Are you all right? You look awfully pale. Liz, you’re shaking. What’s happened?”

  “Better sit down, Roger. It’s kind of a long story,” she said as the tears she’d been holding back started to flow.

  “Liz, Liz, what is it? You never cry. Please, tell me what’s going on.”

  “Roger,” she said sniffling, “I just realized how much I love you, and how lucky I am to be alive.”

  “Well, believe me, I’m pretty glad you are too, but…”

  She interrupted him. “It all started after you left this morning.” She told him everything concluding with the long email she’d just finished writing to Sean.

  “Oh, sweetheart. I can’t believe how lucky we are that Wes found that pill bottle. I don’t even want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t. Liz, Jack has to be told about this. After all, one murder happened on his property and another one almost did. I’m going downstairs and getting him. I’d like him to hear it from you.”

  A few minutes later Jack and
Roger entered the room, both of them wearing grim looks. “Liz, Roger tells me Cassie tried to poison you. Please, tell me everything. The reputation of my lodge is at stake here.”

  Roger looked at him incredulously and said in an angry voice, “The reputation of your lodge? How about my wife almost being murdered by your employee? Think her life is a heck of a lot more important than the reputation of your lodge. Let me tell you something, Jack, with that kind of an attitude I’m inclined to file a lawsuit against you on Liz’s behalf seeking damages for the emotional fright and distress you’ve caused her to suffer. Go ahead, Liz, tell him what happened.”

  Liz recounted everything that had happened and concluded by saying, “If it hadn’t been for Chef Jackson, I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”

  All three of them were quiet for a long time, and then Jack began to speak. He looked down at his hands as he spoke, unwilling to meet Liz’s glaze. “Liz, I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through, and I’m truly glad you’re alive. I know I sounded callous a few moments ago, and I apologize for that, but this lodge is my life. My wife died many years ago from cervical cancer, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. We never had children, and I was almost suicidal with grief. I’d inherited this property from my parents, and my doctor in El Paso suggested I build a hunting lodge on it. With my elevated blood pressure and stress test failures he felt if I didn’t take my own life, I was probably going to die anyway.

  “My daddy taught me how to hunt as soon as I was big enough to hold a gun. It’s second nature to me. Dogs and guns were my second love, but Abby, my wife, was my first. I built this lodge from the ground up, and I’ve seen it become perhaps the most prestigious hunting lodge in the Unites States. I’m very proud of what I’ve done, and I really feel it saved my life.

  “I know this is a lot to ask, but would you be willing to say nothing about what’s happened to you to the other guests? They’ll be leaving tomorrow, so it would just be for the rest of today, and they’ll all be out hunting anyway. I’ll get in touch with Stanley and the sheriff tomorrow and do whatever they want. Please, give me today. I know what’s happened will get out eventually, but perhaps the current guests won’t find out about it until much later. If it hits the hunting magazines and media, it could mean the end of my lodge, and I think it would be the end of me. I’m sure my competitors would have a field day with it.”