Death By Stalking

by Abigail Keam

  Hunter hustled me over to the dance floor before I could protest. While doing the foxtrot, I scanned for the three men over Hunter’s shoulder. I didn’t see them, but spotted Asa making the rounds chatting people up. I knew she was probing for information.

  Ah, like mother like daughter. Nosey.

  13

  When tango music started, I begged off and sat down in the nearest chair.

  Hunter disappeared into the crowd and brought back two plates of various desserts. I was in chocolate heaven, but before I could shove some deliciousness into my piehole, Charles tracked me down.

  “Miss June is tired and wishes to leave.”

  “I’ll take Josiah home, Charles.”

  “What about Miss Asa and Whatshisface?”

  I surveyed the room. “I’m sure Asa wants to stay, but Rosie probably will want to go home.”

  “I haven’t seen her for a while.”

  “I haven’t either, Charles. Let me check the powder room.”

  “That would be nice. I’m getting a little sleepy-eyed myself.”

  Reluctantly leaving my edible delights behind, I ventured to the ladies’ lounge, calling out Rosie’s name.

  No reply. I asked the ladies washing their hands if they had seen Rosie, but they replied, “no.”

  “Maybe she’s outside having a smoke,” one of them suggested.

  Rosie didn’t smoke, but I thanked them and hurried over to the patio garden where several gentlemen were puffing on their cigars.

  “Have any of you seen Rosamond Rose?”

  They either shook their heads or muttered, “No, Josiah.”

  “If you see her, please direct her to Lady Elsmere’s table. Her Ladyship is wanting to go home, and Miss Rose came with her.”

  “Will do.”

  “No problem.”

  “She might have gone back into the auction room to get away from Gage,” one of them suggested.

  Everyone knew of Gage bullying Rosie.

  I asked, “Has he been bothering Miss Rosie tonight?”

  “Didn’t see anything, but Rosie has seemed skittish all night,” the man replied.

  “I’ll check there. Thanks, fellows,” I replied, trying not to show I was miffed when none of them offered to check for me. My leg was killing me, and I wished I had asked Hunter to look for Rosie, but I proceeded to the auction room.

  It was empty.

  Drats!

  Where was that woman?

  Knowing Asa and Boris were on the dance floor, I decided to recruit them in my search for Rosie. As I turned to leave the room, I heard a loud thump behind the stage.

  “Hello? Rosie, is that you? Hello?”

  Hearing a muffled whimper, I hurried up the stage steps and pushed aside the thick curtain that separated the stage from the back room where the antiques were stored, waiting to be carted off by their new owners.

  I saw a flash of yellow behind an armoire and said, “Rosie, I’ve been looking for you all over,” while making my way to her around some heavy furniture. “June wants to leave, honey.”

  She turned to face me. Her beautiful yellow dress was smeared with blood, and she was clutching a knife in her hand.

  “Oh, my God! Are you hurt?” I asked, rushing over to her.

  It was then I saw Gage Cagle lying on the floor. I pushed Rosie out of the way and bent over to check for a pulse.

  “He’s still alive. Call an ambulance. ROSIE! GET HELP!”

  Rosie gave a terrified wail before she dropped the knife and fled.

  I grabbed some packing material lying on the floor and tried to staunch the bleeding, but blood was everywhere. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! HELP!”

  I screamed for a long time before help came.

  It was Agnes Bledsoe who finally heard me.

  14

  I was wearing an orange paper jumpsuit, fearing that if I moved suddenly, the paper would tear. Where would I be then? I guess begging for some tape.

  A plainclothes detective walked into the room holding a file and shut the door.

  “Where is Detective Kelly?”

  The man replied, “My name is Detective Norbet Drake. Can you answer some questions for me?” He eased into a chair.

  “Are you the lead detective?”

  “I am.”

  “What happened to Detective Kelly?”

  Drake ignored my question. “You are Josiah Louise Reynolds?”

  “I am.”

  Drake leaned back in his chair. “Are you the same Josiah Reynolds I read about in the newspaper all the time? You like solving murders?”

  “No one likes murder cases because murder is a nasty business, but I have helped solve several cases by working with the police.”

  Drake perused the file he was holding. “More than just several. According to your record, Josiah, you have stumbled over twelve murdered bodies in a relatively short time.”

  “So, Gage is dead.”

  “Bled out before the ambulance got there. Arrived at the hospital DOA.”

  “I didn’t think he was going to make it.”

  “Why is that?”

  “There was so much blood. I couldn’t hold back the flow.”

  “Can you tell me what happened? Did he attack you and you stabbed him in self-defense?”

  “What? You think I stabbed him?” I drew back in my chair astonished.

  “If you confess, the DA can give you a plea deal.”

  I jumped up. Riiippp! Great! I tore the backside of my paper jumpsuit, and now my bare fanny was hanging out. “You got this all wrong. I didn’t do anything to that man but try to help him.”

  “Please sit down, Josiah.” Drake studied the police report. “You were discovered with Gage Cagle, covered in his blood.”

  “Look, Norbet.”

  “It’s Detective Drake.”

  “Then it’s Mrs. Reynolds. I had to lean over him to staunch the bleeding. Of course, I got his blood on my hands and my dress. It doesn’t mean I killed him. I found Gage prostrate on the floor, already injured.”

  The door to the interrogation room burst open and in stormed Shaneika Mary Todd—my hero and my lawyer. She gave Drake a menacing look. “Don’t say another word, Josiah.”

  “You’re interrupting my interrogation, Shaneika.”

  “Ah, blow it out you know where,” Shaneika said. “Is my client under arrest?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’m calling a halt to your questions, and my client is leaving with me. If at any time you wish to question Mrs. Reynolds again, you will have to do it with me present. In other words, this dame has lawyered up.”

  Shaneika tossed a bag at me, glimpsing my backside. “I brought some clothes for you, and not a moment too soon.”

  “There’s a bathroom down the hall where you can change,” Drake said, picking up his file. “Make sure your client doesn’t leave town.”

  “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Shaneika said.

  As soon as Drake closed the door, Shaneika turned her ire on me. “Haven’t I told you not to talk to cops without a lawyer present?”

  “Drake thinks I killed Gage Cagle.”

  “No, he doesn’t. He’s just trying to rattle you.”

  “He did a good job.”

  “Let’s get out of here so we can talk. Get dressed first. I see that it must be a little drafty for you.”

  Grinning, I made sure those looking through the two-way mirror got a good view of my “twin assets” while leaving the room.

  15

  Shaneika, Asa, and I settled into a booth near the back of Al’s Bar.

  The clack of billiard balls striking one another masked our conversation.

  We quickly gave our orders to the waitress, who yelled, “Two cheese and drag ’em through the garden.” After she lumbered back to the kitchen, we got back to the business of talking, whispering quietly.

  “You’re going to have to tell the police what you saw or you could be charged with hamperi
ng an investigation,” Shaneika said.

  “Do you think the police are trying to pin the murder on me?”

  “No. Other attendees at the ball have told the police they witnessed Rosamond Rose running away with blood on her dress.”

  “Where is Rosie now?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Asa and I glanced at each other. We both had the sneaky suspicion Shaneika was lying.

  “Did you touch the knife, Josiah?”

  “I don’t think so, but there is a possibility I pushed it out of the way when I was trying to find something to press on the wound.”

  “Mom, can you tell us what happened with as much detail as possible?”

  “Charles said June wanted to leave. I told him that I wanted to stay and Hunter would take me home. I also stated you probably wanted to stay, too. I offered to look for Rosie as I thought she might be in the ladies’ room, but she wasn’t there. I asked around, and everyone said they hadn’t seen her. I went out onto the patio where several men were smoking cigars. They said they hadn’t seen her, but suggested I look in the auction room.”

  “Let me stop you. I will need the names of those ladies and gents you talked with concerning Ms. Rose.”

  “No problem.”

  Shaneika shoved her yellow legal pad at me.

  I quickly wrote down the names.

  Shaneika grabbed the pad. “Did you at any time follow Gage into the auction docking area behind the stage?”

  “No.”

  “Let me ask you again. Did you at any time follow Gage into any part of the facility?”

  “No. I did not. I was looking for Rosie. Gage was the last person I wanted to see. Why do you ask?”

  “Because a witness has stepped forward saying you followed Gage into the auction room.”

  “I did not at any time follow Gage anywhere. I was looking for Rosie. I had no idea that Gage was behind the stage. Who said I followed him?”

  “Let’s move on. What happened next?”

  “I want to know who accused me.”

  Asa gently touched my arm. “Mom, answer the question.”

  My stomach started to rumble, and the taste of those awful canapés rose in my throat. Talk about heartburn. “I went into the auction room where I heard a noise.”

  “Did you hear a cry?”

  “It could have been a cry, but I remember it more like a thump.”

  “Would you characterize the thump as a body falling onto the floor?”

  “Shaneika, it could have been. I really don’t know. I heard a noise. It alarmed me.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It was a noise that didn’t belong.”

  “Go on.”

  “I ran up the steps to the stage and went behind the curtain.”

  “What did you see?”

  “I saw Rosie.”

  “You saw Ms. Rose’s face?”

  “Not exactly. I saw her dress. I mean, I saw a yellow flash from behind some furniture.”

  “You saw the color yellow?”

  “Yeah, but I knew it was Rosie because of the yellow. It was a distinctive color.”

  “Was she sitting or standing up?”

  “Standing.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I went around some furniture to where she stood, saying something like ‘June wants to go home.’ I was trying to let Rosie know her ride was leaving.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Rosie turned around. There was blood all over the front of her dress, and she was holding a knife. She seemed frozen at first, as if in a daze, before she said, ‘I didn’t do this.’”

  “Okay,” Shaneika said, furiously taking notes.

  “That’s when I saw Gage on the floor and rushed over to him. He was still alive, and I yelled at Rosie to get help.”

  “You said you passed by her. Did you push her out of the way or have any contact with her person at all?”

  “To tell the truth, I don’t remember. It happened so fast.”

  Shaneika looked up from her legal pad. “You told Ms. Rose to go for help. What happened?”

  “I gathered packing material from the floor to use as a compress on Gage’s wound. I looked up and saw Rosie fleeing.”

  “What made you think Ms. Rose was running away? You did tell her to go for help.”

  “Because she was going in the wrong direction. She went through an exit door on the right, which leads out to the parking lot.”

  “Okay. Go on.”

  “I kept putting pressure on Gage’s wounds and yelled for help until someone found me.”

  “Who found you?”

  “Agnes Bledsoe.”

  Shaneika smirked. “Your good friend, Agnes Bledsoe?”

  “Yeah, isn’t that crazy!”

  “The blood on Ms. Rose’s dress—was it smeared or splattered?”

  I had to think for a moment. “Smeared.”

  “Do you believe Ms. Rose stabbed Gage Cagle?”

  “If a man ever needed killing, it was he.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “I don’t know, Shaneika. I didn’t see anyone else.”

  “Do you think Ms. Rose has the capacity to kill?”

  “It is not in Rosie’s nature, but anyone can kill if pushed hard enough. Gage had been brutal with her for years.”

  “Give me some examples.”

  “He poisoned two of her dogs, cut her waterline several times, put three-penny nails on the road to puncture her car tires, called her place of employment and told her supervisors that she was a drug addict and selling to teenagers.”

  Shaneika said, “Wow. I think I might be tempted to kill someone if they did that to me.”

  “Mom, didn’t he shoot into her house one time?”

  “Almost got her, too. The bullet buzzed right by her head, but Rosie couldn’t prove it was Gage.”

  “Why didn’t the police stop the harassment?”

  “His family has been in Jessamine County since the first settlers came. They have a lot of influence in the county.”

  “I get it.”

  “After years of trying, Rosie did get a lady DA who was sympathetic to her case and took it to court. A Protective Order was put on Gage, stating that he was not allowed any contact with Rosie, but you saw how that turned out. He ignored the PO, got hauled back into court, and a judge who knew his family threw the PO out.”

  “Did Gage threaten Rosie at the auction?”

  Asa said, “Yes, he threatened to kill Mother and Rosie.”

  “How so?”

  Asa replied, “Hunter Wickliffe, Mom, Rosie, Lady Elsmere, and I were talking when Gage approached us and bragged he was going to bid on the Windsor chairs. Then he started ranting about shooting Mother’s dog if Baby, or any dog for that matter, came back on his property, and how he might miss, accidentally striking Rosie or Mom. It was bizarre.”

  I noticed Asa didn’t mention that Boris was a witness as well.

  “Unfortunately, his threats give both Ms. Rose and Josiah a motive for murder.”

  I took a sip of water, not knowing how to respond. I knew Shaneika was right.

  Shaneika continued, “You say he killed two of Ms. Rose’s dogs, and he threatened to kill Baby. Did Gage Cagle fear dogs?”

  “June told me he feared big dogs,” I answered.

  “Did you see any evidence of that?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Shaneika looked up from her notes.

  “June and I rushed over to Rosie’s place when Gage chained her farm gate shut. Baby chased Gage onto the hood of a police car, and Gage soiled himself.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “You know Baby wouldn’t have hurt him.”

  “Baby weighs two hundred pounds. He’s all muscle and built like a small tank. I would jump on a car if he rushed me.”

  “Mastiffs don’t usually bite.”

  “But Baby can easily knock a grown man to the ground, caus
ing a great deal of damage, especially to an older person. You need to keep closer control over him.”

  I don’t like it when anyone criticizes my precious Baby, but I kept my mouth shut.

  Asa asked, “What’s your advice at this point, Shaneika?”

  “I think you both should go home and get some rest. I will call the police to set up an appointment. Josiah, you will answer their questions to the best of your ability. After that, you are to have no contact with them. Everything has to go through me.”

  “Am I in trouble?”

  “I don’t think Detective Drake is seriously considering the witness’ claim that you followed Gage, but I’ll sound him out. We could have finished the interview this evening, but I’m not in the habit of having a client give a formal statement to the police with her derriere hanging out of her pants. It puts my client on the defensive.”

  I chuckled. “Does it ever!”

  “When this is all over, you might want to give Agnes Bledsoe a call.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “She vouched for you. Agnes told the police that you were struggling to save Gage’s life when she found you. And that you were many things, most of them irritating, but if you were going to murder someone, you would do it in such a manner as not to get caught.”

  “That’s so sweet. I think I’m tearing up.”

  “Can you tell us who put the whammy on Mom?”

  “I bet it was Ellen Boudreaux,” I said. “She hates my guts.”

  “I don’t know, but again, I’ll find out what’s going on. Just one more thing before you go. Could you identify the knife if you had to?”

  I shook my head. “I saw something sharp and covered with blood. Other than that, I couldn’t tell you anything about the knife.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “Why?” Asa asked.

  “Because Mr. Cagle wasn’t stabbed with a knife.”

  I was flabbergasted. “What was it then?”

  Shaneika put her pad and pen in her briefcase, saluted, and walked out of the bar, passing our waitress who was delivering two plates of food to our table.

  I turned to Asa, who was biting into a cheeseburger. “I hate it when she does that.”

  Asa bobbed her head in agreement while wiping ketchup off her mouth with a paper napkin.