The Fatal Fury (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 6)

by Leona Fox

  “Occasionally, yes,” she said, smiling sadly, “we dated for a while but it...it didn't work out.”

  From the way she spoke and averted her gaze from them, both Ellen and Andy got the sense she didn't want to go into specifics.

  “It's funny really, he was a man who most people found impossible to like, but I found it impossible not to love him.” There was a sadness about her but also a tinge of bitterness to her words as well.

  “May I ask why people found it difficult to like him? I met him the other night and he seemed pleasant enough to speak to, and he obviously takes the time to come and tend to his aunt,” Ellen said.

  Diana's expression twisted into a snarl and she gave off a curt laugh. “He only came after her because of the inheritance he was promised and he probably just came to check on how close she is to dying. He never had any love for her or this place. Could never escape his past. And Mary, well, she never knows what's going on anyway. I went to see her once, with him, and she's just lost to the world. He was mean about it, too, said if she had been hooked up to a life support machine he would have told them to cut the power. Somehow he saw her clinging on to life as a personal affront, like she was doing it just to spite him. As I said, he wasn't a very nice man.”

  “And yet you loved him?” Andy said quietly.

  “We don't always get to choose the people we fall in love with. I'm not going to pretend and say he was the perfect man because he was far from it, but we had some good times together. I accepted his faults like he accepted mine. Would my life have been easier if I hadn't have loved him? Probably, but it's too late for those kinds of regrets now. If you'll excuse me, I have to go and call a supplier,” she said, although Ellen suspected there was more to her exit than that because tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

  “So now we have money and love, this certainly is giving us possibilities,” Ellen said.

  “But it's not actually helping us narrow down anything. What were your impressions of her?” Andy asked.

  “She's hurting, but the way she spoke about him...that's not the way you'd speak of someone you truly loved. I think something might have happened between them, which would put her under suspicion as well.”

  “I'm thinking the same thing. Maybe they had a fight. Maybe he came here to patch things up. There are still too many maybes.”

  “I want to know how much he was set to inherit. Diana already said he was willing to kill Mary. Maybe times got desperate and he thought he would give her a nudge to Heaven.”

  “But Mary isn't dead, and as far as we know there was no attempt on her life,” Andy said, not sure where Ellen was going with this.

  “No, but if Henry knew Gary was planning something, well, he seemed to take his role as caregiver seriously and he's the type to be protective of his patient.”

  On the way to the records office Ellen called Kelly and gave her a quick update, and in turn Kelly gave her an update on Scampy, who she was dog-sitting. In the background Ellen could hear the dog bark playfully. It seemed as though he was having fun with Matthew.

  When they got to the records office Andy flashed his badge at the clerk. The two of them waited patiently as the clerk disappeared through a heavy door, emerging a few minutes later with the will they sought. It was a slim folder but when they cast their eyes over the words they found something startling, something that made Andy's fingers tense around the edge of the paper and Ellen gasp. For the beneficiary of Mary's will was not, in fact, Gary, as Diana had claimed, it was Henry.

  Chapter 4

  Andy and Ellen looked at each other. Neither of them had expected this and it added a new layer to the mystery.

  “If Gary knew about this...” Andy began.

  “Then maybe he would have gone after Henry himself. Could it be that Gary's wounds actually were caused by Henry defending himself?”

  “I don't know, but I've seen both men. Gary wasn't the strongest and Henry, well, I suspect he could have broken Gary in two if he really wanted to do so. Given that he seemed very concerned with his inheritance I can imagine the will would have been something he would have kept an eye on, and if it was taken away from him who knows how irrational he could have become.”

  “It's funny isn't it? After how mysterious this case started off, it all could come down to greed. One of the oldest motivations in the book. But I think it's time I meet this Henry for myself.”

  While Andy spent time getting in contact with Henry, Ellen called Kelly to give her another update.

  “I'm going to be spending time away from the cafe longer than I thought. Would you mind going there to keep an eye on things? It shouldn't be too busy today but I think just having an extra pair of hands would help the others who are working today. Oh, and feel free to give Scampy a treat as an apology for me not being there.”

  “Honestly, and don't be upset at this, I think he's having too much fun to miss you. Matthew is a natural, it seems.”

  “Well tell him I might make him my go-to guy for looking after Scampy.”

  “I don't have a problem with that. Oh, and by the way, if it turns out Henry did do it then I'm going to have my 'I told you so' ready,” Kelly said. Ellen could imagine her poking her tongue out, and sighed.

  “We'll see. I'll catch up with you later,” she said, and hung up.

  It was good Scampy was having fun with Matthew and Kelly. Ellen felt she had been a little neglectful of her pet recently and vowed to give him a lot of attention later. It was difficult when she had a case like this that meant going around to different places at various times of the day when she knew Scampy needed a strict schedule. It also felt like a long time since she and Kelly had had a good night together where they could talk as friends. She wanted to get an update on Kelly's relationship with Matthew. The two of them seemed extremely happy together and last time they had spoken Ellen had teased Kelly about wedding bells.

  Kelly never had made much noise about wanting to get married, or regretting that she hadn't been married yet. All in all, Kelly was very much a free spirit. So in some ways it was strange to see her in a relationship that was settled. Yet they were a good match for each other and Ellen was curious to see where the future would lead the two of them, and how that would dovetail with her own relationship.

  But there would be time to think about that when she met up with Kelly later. Until then there were more important matters to take care of. Henry came into the police station looking grizzled and gloomy. When he saw Ellen he snarled and she ducked into the interrogation room, where Andy was waiting with a file.

  “Have a look at this while I go and get him,” he said before he went to grab Henry.

  As Ellen read the file she saw Henry had served time in prison and now it made sense why he was so defensive when she had spoken to him in Mary's house. When he came into the room he took a seat opposite Ellen, as did his lawyer, and Andy sat beside her. Henry's lawyer was one appointed to him, a thin man wearing spectacles. His bald, domed head gleamed under the electric lights and his suit didn't seem to fit properly.

  “Just to make this clear, you're not under suspicion yet. We'd just like to get clarification about a few things that pertain to the murder of Gary Speed,” Andy began.

  “I shouldn't be under suspicion because I didn't do anything,” Henry growled, at which point the lawyer rested his hand on Henry's shoulder.

  The two of them were an odd pair. Henry was so big he barely fit in the chair and the lawyer was so thin he looked as though he would have been carried away by a strong breeze. In fact, had Henry been standing in front of the lawyer, the lawyer would have been hidden from view.

  “That may be the case, but if you co-operate with us it will help us to get to the truth, whatever that may be,” Andy continued.

  Henry merely snorted and shook his head. He leaned forward and placed his heavy paws on the table. His thick fingers were like sausages and they linked together, forming a cage. Ellen's gaze was drawn to them. She th
ought Henry wouldn't have needed a knife to kill anyone, he could have done it with his bare hands.

  “I know exactly what you're thinking,” Henry said in a low, steady voice, “I can see that file. I know you know I have a criminal record and you're probably thinking that makes me guilty. ‘He's committed crimes before, why shouldn't he do it again?’ Especially since I was convicted of assault. I'm not going to deny that,” at this point his lawyer leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

  After one glare from Henry the lawyer wilted and folded his hands into his lap, probably wondering why he even had been summoned if his client was just going to go off half-cocked like this.

  “I've made mistakes, I'm sure we all have, it's just that my mistake was against the law. I got caught. I served my time. I was rehabilitated. That's what the justice system is about, isn't it? That we go to prison, serve our time, then we're deemed fit to return to society. Sure, I committed a crime but that was in my old life. I've paid my dues and that shouldn't make me an automatic target for anything that's going to happen now,” he spoke with passion and zeal, although his words were tempered by his even tone.

  “It's unfair of you to judge me based on that. I'm happy to answer questions but I'm not going to sit here and be insulted. I have this guy with me to make sure you don't take advantage of my past or try threatening me. I'm happy to answer questions but I will not be treated like I'm guilty just because I have done things in my past.”

  Ellen and Andy shared a look, then Ellen spoke. “Look, Henry, we're not trying to pin this on you we're just trying to get to the truth. So far you're one of the few people in this town who actually knew Gary so you're one of our best leads. But there's actually something else we need to talk with you about. We know you care for Mary; how long have you been doing that exactly?”

  “Oh, I don't know, ever since I came out of prison. It was one of the programs they got us on. A good couple of years at least, maybe longer. After being in prison I don't really like counting the days anymore, time is just something that happens.”

  “And would you say the two of you are close?” Andy asked.

  “Well, as close as we can be given her condition, I suppose.”

  “What do you mean by that? Do you talk to her?” Ellen asked.

  “Yeah, I mean, they say it helps. I chat away to her while I'm there. Helps keep me sane as well. But yeah, I mean, she knows what's going on and sometimes she has some lucid moments. There was a point a while ago when she would have a period of a few good days where she'd actually talk and interact with the world. Then they became less and less frequent, and that's where you get to where we are now.”

  “Do you know anything about her plans for her future?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Her will,” Andy said plainly. Henry creased his brow and shook his head slowly.

  “No, I never asked her about that. Wasn't any of my business really. Wouldn't be surprised if it all was going to Gary. He's her only living relative. Not that I think he deserved it, mind you, but I guess it doesn't really matter now.” Upon this frank talk the lawyer put his head in his hands, showing his despair.

  “So you're telling us you didn't know you were named as her sole beneficiary?” Ellen asked.

  Henry's face remained blank for a few moments, then a look of disbelief broke out. He brought his hand up to his mouth, then ran it over his head as he looked away, trying to make sense of what he had just heard.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “She means that if Mary dies you're going to get all her money. Not Gary. Not anyone else. Just you,” Andy said curtly.

  He and Ellen watched as, surprisingly, Henry welled up with emotion. The big man looked like a brute, he was tough and fierce, yet tears formed in his eyes. Now he resembled a gentle giant, and in this state it was difficult to imagine him hurting anyone.

  “I can't believe...how could she? Why? I never even knew she was able...” he said, still trying to make sense of the unexpected news.

  Andy and Ellen allowed him this moment to let the revelation sink in but did not let it linger for too long as they had more questions to ask. The lawyer jotted down some notes but he was beginning to think he was superfluous since Henry wasn't actually being accused of anything...yet. There was still the possibility Henry had killed Gary in self-defense, although it seemed unlikely and Kelly would have to hold off on her 'I told you so'.

  “Do you think Gary knew about this?” Andy asked, trying to keep the investigation going.

  Henry had to shake himself out of the stupor in which the news had put him, and focused on the questions. He was more relaxed now, though, and much less hostile.

  “I suppose it's possible,” he admitted.

  “How would you describe your relationship with Gary?” Andy asked.

  “We had our differences. I can't say I liked the man. Never really seemed to care about Mary. He only ever came to see her out of a sense of obligation, but we never fought or anything like that. Whenever he came down I kept myself to myself and he did the same, that's about as far as it went.”

  Andy made a couple of notes while Ellen asked Henry to tell them a little more about Gary.

  “Right now we don't know anything and it's difficult to know who would murder him when we don't even know what he does for a living,” she admitted.

  “I don't know where to start really. He was mostly an average guy, apart from the burns I guess.”

  “Yeah, how did he get those?” Andy asked.

  “Some childhood accident. I don't know the specifics. It wasn't something he was exactly forthcoming about. Mary didn't seem keen to talk about it either, so I left it alone. I'm not going to press something when it's clear it's not any of my business. All I know is he lives in East Callow and he's a psychiatrist...or maybe he's a psychologist. I always get the two of them mixed up, is there even any difference between them? Other than that I don't know. Like I said, we weren't friends so I can't tell you about any specifics. As far as I'm concerned he was just a guy who lived in another town who should have taken better care of his aunt, but that's just my two cents.”

  Ellen and Andy thanked Henry for coming in but it didn't seem like they were going to get any more information out of him, and it seemed as though Ellen's gut was right about Henry.

  “I don't think he had any motive to kill Gary. He seems pretty sincere in what he says,” Ellen said.

  “I still don't want to rule him out fully, but that's more due to the fact we have a lack of suspects at the moment. I tend to agree with you, though. I don't think he'd be the type to go stalk Gary at night and stab him in an alley.”

  “So where do we look now?”

  “Actually I'm thinking I should enlist some help from our neighbors,” Andy said.

  East Pender mostly kept business to itself and the main link was with the big city nearby. West Callow was a little drive away, maybe 45 minutes, but since both towns were fairly similar (although residents of East Pender would have argued all day long that they had the better history) there was little cross-pollination between them. Most people, if they wanted a day out or a trip, would have gone to the big city. Andy called up the police in West Callow and told them about the crime. He asked if he could send some representatives across to work together and find out if Gary had any enemies in town. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that someone could have followed him to East Pender, after all.

  “Let's hope the movie manages to capture the excitement of all this high-octane police work,” Andy said wryly.

  “It's Hollywood. They'll probably have you in some high speed car chase with guns blazing. Who are you going to send over to West Callow?” Ellen asked.

  “My two best agents, you and Kelly, of course,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Ellen collected Kelly from the cafe and this time she took Scampy with her. The little dog bounded into her arms and looked happy to see her. She thanked Matthew.
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br />   “How's the case looking?” he asked.

  “We're just off to West Callow to chase a lead,” Ellen said.

  Kelly didn't seem too happy about it but, soon enough, they were in the car. Scampy was sitting on Ellen's lap while Kelly drove. The dog's head was pressed against the window and at opportune moments Ellen wound down the window to allow Scampy to lean his head out, letting his tongue flutter in the wind. It was a short drive, and on the way Ellen spoke to Kelly about all the things she wanted to talk about. Kelly was unusually guarded when it came to her relationship with Matthew. Ellen wondered if there was trouble in paradise, although at the moment it was only idle speculation as Kelly said everything was as good as it ever had been.

  “I think he's had a good impact on you,” Ellen said, “It's good to see you in a settled relationship.”

  “I have to admit it's taken me by surprise as well,” Kelly conceded. This was about the only revelation Ellen could garner at the time, which didn't bother her.

  Kelly generally always was friendly and open, but occasionally she had periods where she was guarded. Ellen put these moods down to the vagaries of the creative mind. She had been around Kelly long enough to know creative people had a range of moods and, given their impulses, they were often erratic. Kelly was mostly level-headed, although she was always flighty. In the early throes of their friendship Ellen often had asked her if anything was wrong, only to be rebuffed defensively, not that Kelly had meant any personal insult by it. However, Ellen quickly had learned just to let the problem sort itself out. Kelly always returned from these periods as the person with whom Ellen was familiar, and it was simply a process Kelly had to go through.

  So, although the car journey perhaps was not filled with as much lively conversation as Ellen had hoped, it was still nice to have her friend by her side. It made her think of the times before they had boyfriends. Back then the conversation probably would have been filled by Kelly teasing her about Andy. So much had changed in their personal lives and Ellen found it interesting to think about how much their lives could change in the future.