by V. B. Tenery
Unaware his facial expression had morphed his inner thoughts, the woman surprised Matt when she narrowed her eyes and stared at him over the centerpiece. “You have a problem with the organization, Chief Foley?”
It would be rude to start a political debate in Blain’s home. Matt shook his head.
The columnist leaned forward. “Don’t be shy, Chief. I’m sure we would all be interested in your opinion.”
Matt shook his head again. “I’m not sure everyone would be.”
“Yes, Matt,” Dina chimed in. “We’d be very interested.”
Matt exchanged a glance with Blain at the head of the table. Matt didn’t want to engage this pushy woman in an argument at his father-in-law’s dinner table. Blain must have overheard the conversation. He gave Matt a go-ahead nod.
Matt placed his dessert fork on the plate. “Since you asked, I think this particular group consists of misguided women being used, either knowingly or unknowingly, by left wing extremists. Their presence in town, demonstrating in front of our former president’s home, ties up police and wastes taxpayers’ money to protect them while they engage in meaningless activities.”
The woman’s face turned the color of her hair. “That’s unkind. They are smart, compassionate women opposed to war. In case you’re unaware of a little thing called the First Amendment, they have every right to protest.”
Matt folded his napkin then placed it on the table. “I’m well aware of that right. I applaud those who demonstrate responsibly. However, I don’t understand why intelligent women protest at the home of an ex-president, who can do nothing to stop the war, rather than in Washington, in front of a sitting president, who can. The war continues, yet they haven’t interrupted a state-of-the-union address since the administration changed.”
Momentarily flustered, the woman glared at him. “May I quote you, Chief Foley?”
At the head of the table, Blain Stanton and Governor Ferrell stood. Blain nodded again at Matt.
Pushing his chair back, Matt rose. He gazed directly at the redhead. “Absolutely, as long as you keep it in context.” He leaned down and whispered in Sara’s ear, “This is why I don’t go into politics.”
Matt joined the two men. Blain lowered his voice. “Sorry about that, Matt. I think Senator Lambert brought that woman.”
They followed the governor to the study where Ferrell took off his coat, loosened his tie, then took a seat on the leather sofa. He chuckled. “I guess you told Ms. Parker. Wish I could do that. I’d like to tell the media what I really think for once, just to see how it feels.”
He leaned back on the couch then crossed his legs. “Thanks for agreeing to come tonight, Matt. Are you sure we can’t lure you into the next senate race? We’d love to replace Lambert. You’d bring a breath of fresh air into the contest.”
“I’m honored to be asked, Governor, but politics is not my game. I value my privacy and I like what I do.”
The governor heaved a heavy breath. “I understand. It’s not a job for everyone. I wanted to ask you about Penny. Lily is having a difficult time with this. I think she realized Penny had died, but didn’t want to admit it to herself. Now that it’s a reality, she ...” He rubbed his hand across his brow. “It has been so long, I had almost forgotten what a special child Penny was. Do you have anything concrete so far?”
Taking the chair next to the sofa, Matt nodded. “There are a few leads―items taken from the grave site—that we’re following up on, but I don’t have anything solid to report at present.”
Brandt Ferrell leaned forward. “I understand this will take some time. Let me know when you have something solid, so I can keep Lily informed before it reaches the news media.”
“Of course. Be assured, we’ll do everything possible to find out what happened and bring the killer to justice.”
“I appreciate that, Matt.”
Matt shook hands and left the two men to their political games.
****
Sara smiled at Jeff, as a little after eleven o’clock, he extricated himself from Dina Lambert. His face flushed as he joined the after-dinner conversation.
Later, Sara stood to leave, and said goodnight to Grace. Matt reached across the table to shake hands with Jeff, then came to Sara’s side. He enclosed her hand in his. “Don’t forget about the escort.”
She smiled her thanks. “I won’t.”
In the entryway, Jeff glanced down at her. “Sorry about abandoning you for most of the evening. Every time I tried to get away, Dina held me back with questions about my business.”
Sara waved off his apology. “Don’t let it bother you, Jeff. No problem. I’ve known Dina Lambert for a long time. She can be...possessive. Matt and the Stanton’s kept me company.”
A flicker of irritation formed Jeff’s mouth into a straight line. “I noticed the chief’s attention.”
Outside in the darkness, Sara tried to sooth Jeff’s ego. “Matt was only being kind.”
“Hmm,” Jeff said. “I’m sure he was.”
She cast an exasperated glance at him, but her mind wasn’t on Jeff or Dina Lambert. Matt Foley’s thoughtfulness throughout the evening had surprised her. Minus his usual suspicions, he could be quite charming. Had he changed his mind about her guilt since their last meeting?
His good opinion of her mattered more than she wanted to admit.
CHAPTER 16
Twin Falls Baptist Church
Matt sat beside Seth Davidson in the pastor’s study for his grief counseling appointment.
“How have you been this week?” Seth asked.
Matt leaned back in the soft leather chair and stretched his legs out in front of him, to give himself a moment to think. “Better. But I still have a bad day, occasionally.”
“Tell me about the bad days.”
Matt paused for a moment, pulling his thoughts together. “Sunday night was the worst in a long time. I watched a woman almost drown. An attempted murder. It brought back memories of Mary’s death.” He shifted in the chair. “It reminded me of all the times my job kept me away from her. Time we could have spent together.”
“Mary knew you were a cop when she married you, didn’t she?”
“Of course, but I’m not sure she understood what the job meant in that respect.”
“Did she ever complain about it?”
Matt’s stomach twisted. “No. She was a realist. We often talked about it. She had the same appreciation for my job that I did. Knew that it was important. She did her part to support me by not complaining about the demands on my time. When we solved a difficult case, she felt as though she’d had a part in the success. Sometimes that made me feel worse—that she accepted it so well.”
Seth tapped his lower lip with his forefinger and looked at him. “Do you think you’re being a little hard on yourself? If you had spent more time with Mary, would it have changed the outcome of her death?”
Matt shook his head. “No, but it might have eased some of my guilt.”
“Do you still have the anger issues at God, at yourself?”
Matt ran his hand through his hair, considering the question. “Not so much anymore. I still don’t understand the why of her death. But that’s nothing new. I’ve dealt with that in law enforcement, asking why violent things happen to innocent people.”
He turned in the chair to look directly at Seth. “I’ve found myself becoming interested in another woman...but I haven’t acted on it.”
“Why not?”
“There are a lot of complications I’d rather not go into. But the major reason is it makes me feel unfaithful to Mary.”
The pastor nodded in a knowing way. “It’s been two years, Matthew. Do you think Mary would mind that you were getting on with your life?”
The question gave Matt pause. He knew Mary wouldn’t want him to become less than he had been because of her death. “No, she wouldn’t mind.”
“Looking at yourself today, how far along would you say you are in your grief rec
overy?”
Matt gave the question the attention it deserved. Truth to tell, he hadn’t considered healing in those terms. The conclusion he reached brightened his outlook. The sorrow had lessened. “On a scale of one to ten, I’m about a seven. I’m not sleeping well, but better. The job helps. There are lots of bad people out there to take off the streets. I believe that’s God’s purpose for my life. Doing the job well gives me a great deal of satisfaction.”
Seth smiled, gave his hand a pat. “I know the feeling. Next Thursday. Same time?”
Twin Falls Police Station
Punctual as always, Davis and Hunter sat across from Matt at the conference table.
“Anything new?” Matt asked. He pulled out a chair, then propped his feet up on another one.
Davis had his notebook on the table. “We checked the old retreat files. No seminars that weekend. However, an onsite grounds keeper, Robert Cook, lived in the apartments. He wasn’t on duty that weekend, but he could have been there.” He shook his head. “We’ll never know for sure.”
“Why’s that?” Matt asked.
“He’s dead. Died last week,” Hunter replied.
Matt leaned forward in his seat. “Foul play?”
“No. Lisa says complications from alcoholism, cirrhosis of the liver, et cetera,” Hunter said. “We’re running a background check on him.”
“I’ll ask Joe Wilson to tape the place off, and Hunter will write up a search warrant, see if we can find a judge to sign it tonight. If we pull that off, McCulloch’s people will be out to tag and bag everything in the morning.”
Hunter turned to Davis. “How come I always get the easy jobs like writing up the warrants and making a judge mad for calling him away from his dinner?”
Davis slapped him on the back. “Cause you’re better at the details than I am.”
“Anything else?” Matt pulled his feet off the chair and stood. A thought occurred to him. “Which retreat apartment did Cook live in?”
Davis gave him a knowing grin. “The one with the great view of the burial site.”
Pryor Neighborhood
Davis and his partner left the station. The Pryor neighborhood was first on their list. Sam gave them the names of two people who still lived there.
This was the routine of most investigations. Foot soldiering, from house to house, asking questions. To be honest, he preferred it to sitting in the office making phone calls. The real action was on the street.
Hunter finished off a bagel then wiped his mouth with the small white napkin the vendor provided. “We couldn’t afford to live in this neighborhood.”
“With my single status, I don’t want a house. Condominium living is great. No yard work. But I know what you mean. These places sell for five to ten times their original value.”
Davis tugged his tie closer to his neck, then centered the perfect Windsor knot as they reached the first home on the list, Mrs. Elsie Kaufman.
The Kaufman home, a Tudor style two story, sat back on the lot with a manicured lawn on a curved driveway.
When they neared the front door, a woman’s shrill voice shattered the morning’s silence.
Hunter glanced at Davis. “What’s that?”
Davis grinned. “Maybe the princess found the pea under her mattress.”
Hunter cast a quizzical glance his way. “Should we intrude?”
Davis walked up the steps and rang the bell. “That’s what we do, partner.”
The shouts stopped. The door jerked open. A woman glared at them from the entryway. Her upper lip wore the tale-tell wrinkles of a smoker. Her angry scowl erased any beauty she might have possessed.
It only took a second for Davis to realize this couldn’t be Elsie Kaufman. Too young. Elsie Kaufman would be in her late sixties.
The woman looked at Hunter, then at Davis. “What do you want?”
Davis flashed his badge. “I’m Detective Davis, this is my partner, Detective Hunter. We’d like to speak to Elsie Kaufman, if she’s available.”
The woman’s face relaxed as she focused on him. “My mother doesn’t live here anymore. She’s in Serene Acres Rest Home. I’m her daughter, Dora Hastings. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“We understand your mother lived in the neighborhood at the time Penny Pryor vanished.”
Dora stood aside, inviting them in. She led the way to the living room. They followed her into a large room with a warmth, inconsistent with Dora Hastings’ personality.
A man of about forty, with a dark receding hair line, sat in a rose-print chair near the window, legs crossed, a newspaper open on his lap, a frown etched grooves in his brow.
Davis let his gaze roam around the room. Beige drapes printed with delicate pink roses covered the windows. The fabric pattern continued on chair covers and throw pillows on the earth-tone sofas. Furniture formed a conversation group around the focal point of the room, a huge cream-colored fireplace. Too feminine for his taste, but beautiful.
Dora failed to introduce the man. He stood, holding out his hand. “I’m Todd Hastings. Please, have a seat.”
She shot Todd a cold glance, then turned to face Davis. “We were about to have coffee. Would y’all care to join us?”
Hunter shook his head. “No thanks, but don’t let us stop you.”
“That’s okay, no hurry.” She leaned back against the couch. “It’s been all over the neighborhood that the police found Penny’s body.”
Davis nodded. “We’re questioning anyone who lived in this area when she vanished. Your mother’s name came up on our list.”
“Yes, my mother lived here when it happened. So did I. I knew Penny. We weren’t friends, but I babysat her once. Really sad. Her folks were always fighting. Sam slapped Lily and Penny around. I never trusted Sam Pryor. He always seemed too quiet to suit me.”
Todd Hastings lowered his paper. “Dora, you shouldn’t say such things. Those poor people have enough—”
“—you don’t know anything about this, Todd. It happened before we were married.”
Hastings folded the paper, slapped it down on the end table, and left the room. Minutes later, a back door closed with a bang.
Davis returned his attention to Mrs. Hastings. “Did you ever see Sam actually strike Penny?”
“Never saw him hit Penny.” Dora pulled her thin lips into a smirk. “I heard that he slapped Lily once. I saw the bruise on her cheek.”
Through the picture window, Davis watched Todd Hastings as he got into his car, the tires spinning on the cement as he backed out of the driveway.
Further conversation with Dora ranged from her suspicions of Sam Pryor to her concerns about her neighbors. Davis threw a glance at Hunter before heading to the door. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hastings. We’ll let you know if there are any further questions.”
Back in the car, Hunter turned to him. “You remember in Proverbs, where King Solomon said that it’s better to live in the wilderness than to live in a palace with an angry and contentious woman?”
Davis shrugged. “So?”
“In case you missed it,” Hunter said. “He had Dora Hastings in mind.”
Davis grinned. “It’s a wonder Todd Hastings hasn’t murdered her.”
“That’s easy,” Hunter said. “The only way to get rid of that one is to drive a stake through her heart, then shoot her with a silver bullet.”
Davis pulled into the street and glanced over at his partner. “She did give us one useful piece of information, provided what she said is true. It’s a stretch, but we can add Sam Pryor’s name to the list of suspects.
CHAPTER 17
Serene Acres Rest Home
The scent of disinfectant burned his nose, as Davis strode to the information desk and asked for Elsie Kaufman. The receptionist directed them down the hallway to room 232. The smell of cleaning chemicals intensified as they made their way down the wide corridor.
At Elsie Kaufman’s room, the door stood open. Davis knocked on the doorjamb. “
Mrs. Kaufman?”
A woman sat near a bed, by the window. She looked up, a smile on her face. “I’m Mrs. Kaufman.”
The area was small, about twelve by fifteen. The section near the door held standard industrial furniture. An ancient woman lay on the bed, her thin body curled into a fetal position her breath came in open-mouth gasps.
On the other side, someone had crammed a few small pieces of elegant furniture into the room.
Elsie Kaufman stood when they entered, shook hands with both men, then returned to her chair.
She reminded Davis a little of her daughter, but her eyes held a serenity he didn’t think Dora would ever possess.
At about five-foot-seven, Elsie Kaufman stood tall. Gray hair swirled into a knot at the back of her long graceful neck, her skin looked pale and smooth. She wore a simple blue dress that seemed incongruent among the housedresses of the other residents.
Intelligent blue eyes seemed to appraise him and Hunter. “Come in. Please have a seat, gentlemen. I’m afraid I can’t offer you refreshments. Unfortunately, that’s one of the many luxuries my new home doesn’t provide for guests.”
Davis introduced himself and his partner. “We’re fine.” He pulled over a chair from the other side of the room. Hunter sat on the side of Elsie’s bed. “Have you heard Penny Pryor’s body has been found?”
“Yes, Dora called me with the news.”
“Can you tell us what you remember about the night she vanished?”
Hunter took out his notebook as Davis spoke.
“Actually, I saw very little.” She pushed a strand of gray hair back into the hair clasp. “My husband and I helped with the search that night and again the next day. Most of the neighbors joined in to help. A terrible night for the Pryors. My heart broke for them. We kept a close eye on our children after that, afraid the monster would return. Thankfully, that nightmare never came to fruition.”