by Raven Snow
Ben said nothing for several long moments. Rowen was about to ask again when he finally spoke. “I was watching television,” he said. “I’d just fixed myself lunch., and it was still in the kitchen. I was about to go get it when I heard… I don’t know. Footsteps, I guess.”
“Footsteps?” Rowen repeated, wanting a little more clarification about that one.
“Footsteps, movement, something,” Ben said with a sigh. “The guy who was in my house. I heard him.”
“How did he get in?” asked Rose. “Did the police say they found a point of entry?”
That was a good question. Rowen hadn’t seen how the murderer had broken in and Ben hadn’t told them. “There was an open window in the bedroom. The screen was cut open, so they figure that’s how he got in.”
“What did you do when you heard him?” asked Rowen.
“I fought, of course!” Roland sounded mildly offended that they even had to ask. “I stood toe to toe with that man, and I fought him.”
“Did you really have time to react, though?” asked Rowen. She didn’t mean to insult the guy’s dignity. She might not like him, but pointing that out seemed like adding insult to literal injury. No one deserved that.
Roland seemed to deflate a bit at that. “No,” he admitted. “Not really. He jumped me - the coward. I turned around and he knocked me right out of my seat. He was on top of me before I could get up again.”
“That’s horrible,” said Rose, sounding like she meant it. “Did you get a good look at him?”
“That police chief fellow wouldn’t have called for you lot if I did,” said Roland, glaring at them and likely destroying any sympathy Rose had briefly had for him. “No, I didn’t see much. I imagine I saw less than you.” He nodded to Rowen. “He had me face down on the floor most of the time.”
Rowen considered that. “Did he say anything to you?”
Roland hesitated. “No,” he said after a moment, but that sounded unconvincing.
“Are you sure?” asked Rowen.
“Of course, I’m sure!” snapped Roland.
Rowen studied his face. She noted the way he was finding it difficult to hold her gaze again. “Oh, come on. You might not like us for being witches, but I’m betting being a liar doesn’t make you a very good person either, does it? Come on, just come out with it.”
That seemed to do it. Roland groaned but launched quickly into the truth. “He made a little speech, I guess.”
“A little speech?” Rowen repeated. That seemed like information he definitely should have told Ben. “What kind of speech?”
Already, Rose was pulling out a notepad and pen. Roland eyed her but continued anyway. “It sounded like he’d been watching me for awhile,” he said. “Or asking around about me. One of the two.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Rowen.
“He went over all these things he saw me do.” Roland swallowed, heavily. It was clear that he didn’t want to say these things aloud.
“What kind of things?” Rowen urged. “Please, Roland. It could help save lives. If this guy murders someone else, and you didn’t do all you could to help the police catch him, that’s partly on you.”
Roland glared at Rowen, but he couldn’t seem to find a good reason to argue with her. Instead, he just sighed. “He said he saw me out in front of your office with signs. He said he saw me harassing you guys.”
“That’s sort of hard to miss,” Rose said as she jotted that down.
Rowen found that interesting and, perhaps, a bit worrying. Did that mean the killer had been watching their office as well? “Did he say anything else?” asked Rowen. She would be surprised if he hadn’t. It really felt like Roland was leaving something out.
Roland fidgeted a bit in his hospital bed. He looked back out the window. There was resignation in his eyes. He looked to be searching for the right words to say what needed to be said. “He knew I was sleeping with Ursula,” said Roland. “From the diner.”
That took Rowen by surprise. Even Rose raised her eyebrows. “Ursula?” Rose repeated, double-checking. “The woman who was murdered first?”
Roland nodded, looking awfully close to tears. He kept his gaze focused out the window. “He said that he knew she was married and that I was a hypocrite for judging you lot when I was willing to do something like that.”
He was, Rowen thought. That most certainly made him a hypocrite. She wasn’t going to call him out on that, though. Now, most certainly, wasn’t the time. “Did he say anything about why he murdered her?” Rowen asked instead.
Roland shook his head. “No, but… What if it was because of me?” There were tears in his eyes and they spilled onto his cheeks now.
“Hey.” Rowen reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. It was instinctive. She was about to pull away, but he didn’t seem to object to it. She let her hand linger, hoping to offer him whatever comfort she could. “There’s some psychopath running around out there. That’s not your fault. Whatever you might have done, you’re not a murderer.”
Roland nodded, wiping furiously at his eyes. “Someone needs to catch that monster.”
“Did he say anything else?” asked Rose, sounding considerably less sympathetic. She really didn’t like this guy. Apparently, it was going to take a lot for her to let go of her grudge.
“Just that I deserved what was coming to me.” Roland was beginning to sound angry again, and Rowen couldn’t blame him.
“How much longer are you going to be in here?” asked Rowen, feeling she’d gotten all she was going to out of him. She didn’t believe there was anything else to tell. There was certainly nothing worse than what he had already told them, based on his demeanor. If he had any other information that might have been useful, he would have led with that.
Roland eyed her warily. He might not like her or her family, but he seemed like an awfully lonely man. There was a very real chance that Ursula had been his only friend. “I have some unrelated medical problems. They’ve got me under observation, but I have no idea why. I feel just fine.”
“We can come back and visit, if you like,” Rowen offered. She saw Rose glance over at her in her peripheral vision. “I can come and visit you,” she rephrased.
“I don’t approve of you or your family,” Roland said, immediately. “But… if you want to bring me some clothes from home, I would appreciate it. This hospital gown makes me feel naked.”
Rowen laughed and agreed that she would do just that. “I’ll be back,” she promised as she and Rose left.
Ben was waiting down the hall with Margo. The two were in mid-conversation when she approached. Rowen thought she heard something being mentioned about Rose. They both looked up when she approached. “Well?” prompted Ben.
Rowen beamed. “Got some good information for you,” she said. Her joy at that felt like a little much. Still, she couldn’t help it. Something about solving mysteries just made her feel alive.
“He was sleeping with Ursula,” blurted Rose, spoiling the revelation. She held up her notes. “They were having an affair. Apparently, the killer had been watching Roland for awhile - we’re not sure how long. Long enough to know that he was harassing us and having an affair, though. He took issue with him being a hypocrite. Which is completely fair.”
Margo rolled her eyes. “Rose, don’t sympathize with the murderer.”
“I’m just agreeing with his opinion on Roland Davies not the other… murder stuff,” Rose grumbled. As if in afterthought, she added, “Murdering him would have been too much, probably.”
“Probably?” Margo repeated.
“I’m thinking we need to check out the widower,” said Rowen, ignoring her cousins for more important talk. “Ursula was the first one murdered. The husband could have killed her in a crime of passion and then gone after the man she was having an affair with. Granted, I’m not sure where Jason fits in. Maybe the murderer thought he was the one she was sleeping with.”
Ben nodded. “I agree that we should che
ck out the widower,” he said. “Though, I’m not sure about this ‘we’ business.”
Of course. It wasn’t her business to come along in an investigative capacity. She was getting ahead of herself. “I could help,” she offered. “I mean, I’m good at reading people. Police employ psychics sometimes, right? I could be one of those.”
Ben gave Rowen a critical look. She thought for sure he was going to tell her to go home. Instead, he nodded again. “We can try it,” he said. “I’ve been considering something like that for awhile now.”
“Really?” Rowen couldn’t believe that had worked. Why did she get the feeling he had some sort of ulterior motive?
Chapter Ten
Ursula’s husband was a man named Leroy Jamison. He had a decent job as a construction worker. Their house was small but cute. It was a little one story cottage with roses out front and a little koi pond. Rowen would have liked to have a place like that with Eric. Her thoughts turned to him as they approached the front door. She hadn’t tried calling him again, but thinking about it made her anxious. Wherever he was, he was still angry at her. More than anything, she just wanted to talk this out. It seemed that wasn’t likely to happen any time soon, though. In the meantime, Rowen tried to distract herself.
Rose had come along. Ben had told them that, depending on what they found, they could use the story in their paper. That meant Margo had been forced to go back to the office and get some work done. Someone had to. It had taken a lot of convincing, but she had gone without too much complaining in the end.
Rose stood a bit awkwardly behind Rowen and Ben. She wasn’t used to these situations. Roland Davies had been one story. She didn’t care what Roland Davies thought of her. Here, though? Here she was vocally worried about being insensitive. “What if we offend him by being here?”
“I’m with the police,” said Ben. “Relax. He knows me.”
Sure enough, when Leroy opened the door, he smiled when he saw Ben. “Good to see ya, man,” he said, extending a hand for a friendly handshake. Ben had said he interviewed the man extensively after his wife’s murder. Apparently, he’d said all the right things if this guy was so happy to see him.
“Glad you let us come and ask some questions today,” Ben said.
At the word ‘us’, Leroy looked at the people Ben had with him. His smile faded almost immediately. “Oh,” he said, sounding considerably less than thrilled now that he saw who else was here. “Yeah. Come on in.” He stepped aside to let everyone into his home.
Ben went first. Rose lingered outside for a moment longer, shooting Rowen an uncertain glance. Rowen shrugged, indicating that she’d noticed too and wasn’t sure what to make of it. For whatever reason, Leroy seemed pretty nonplussed that a couple of Greensmith girls were at his home. She supposed that wasn’t too unusual given their reputation around town.
The inside of the house was a little cramped. A lot of things had been boxed up. “I couldn’t stand seeing those little reminders of Ursula around the place,” he said, leading the way to the sofa. “I might move out entirely before too long.”
Rowen wanted to ask if he would give her a heads-up when he put it on the market, but that seemed like it might be in poor taste. “We’re so sorry for your loss,” Rowen said instead.
“Thanks,” said Leroy, not even looking at her when she said it. “Can I get you anything?” he asked Ben.
Ben shook his head. “No, thank you. I came here with a… delicate question.”
Suddenly, Rowen was very much regretting that she was here. This man clearly disliked her. He probably wouldn’t handle news like an affair well with her and Rose right there, but it was far too late to just excuse herself. Besides, Ben probably wanted her there for the gut reaction they got from the guy. As horrible as it seemed, it could help them solve this thing a lot faster.
“What is it?” Leroy asked, his tone guarded.
“Mr. Jamison, were you aware that your wife was having an affair?” asked Ben.
Leroy leaned back on the sofa, reeling from the question like he had been struck a physical blow. “No… I mean… I suppose it’s no big surprise.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Ben.
Leroy took a deep breath. “I confronted her about an affair about a year ago. All the signs were there. She was distant. She was out at all hours. She lied about where she was. She swore up and down she wasn’t having an affair. She made changes and spent more time at home, but… I guess she just learned how to keep that part of her life hidden better.”
He really didn’t seem surprised, Rowen noted. Either this sort of thing had been a long time coming or he had known for awhile already.
“Do you think whoever she was having an affair with could be the killer?” Leroy asked.
“It’s a theory we’re looking into,” said Ben. “I know we asked before if there was anyone you thought might have been romantically interested in her. You said you couldn’t think of anyone like that, but-”
“I didn’t want to damage my wife’s reputation,” Leroy interrupted, growing suddenly defensive. “She was a good woman. Everyone loved her. She was important at work, in the community, church. I didn’t want to suggest anything unsavory, God rest her poor soul.”
“Of course,” said Ben. “But, is there anyone you can think of?”
Leroy shrugged. “There’s some handsome fellows where she works, I guess. And there’s that fellow at the other diner she wanted to work at for awhile? Edward, I think his name was.”
Rowen bit the inside of her mouth. Edward was more than a decade younger than Ursula and not precisely her type. She almost hoped he was just playing dumb.
“Actually, the man who came forward as having an affair with her was named Roland Davies. Do you know who that is?” asked Ben.
The color drained from Leroy’s face. “Roland Davies?” he repeated. He shook his head. “No, that’s impossible. Roland Davies?”
“Yes, sir,” said Ben, maintaining a completely professional demeanor. “Mr. Davies was actually attacked last night by, we suspect, the same man who killed your wife. Apparently, this man made mention of the affair. It seems he was keeping tabs on both your late wife and Mr. Davies.”
“What about that other guy who was killed?” Leroy asked, quickly. “Could she have been having an affair with him?”
Ben raised his eyebrows. “We have no evidence to suggest that, but we are leaving all possibilities open.”
“She couldn’t have been sleeping with Roland Davies,” said Leroy, mostly to himself this time. “That’s… impossible. They went to church together. She felt sorry for the guy.”
Sorry enough to sleep with him, obviously. Rowen didn’t say that aloud, of course, but it seemed implied.
“It is just what he said,” offered Rose. “It’s what Roland claimed. There’s no guarantee it’s the truth. He may have just had a crush on her.”
Ben turned to say something to Rose, but Leroy beat him to it. “Will you shut up?” Leroy snapped, sounding on edge. “If she did sleep with him, it’s all your fault!”
Rose grew tense beside Rowen. “Excuse me?” she asked sounding uneasy.
“Neither of them could stand you,” continued Leroy, ranting now. “Either of you. They thought the whole Greensmith family was nothing but trouble for Lainswich. I’m inclined to agree with them, honestly. A whole family of witches. It’s ridiculous. You should be run out of town. It’s just not-”
“Mr. Jamison,” Ben said firmly, silencing him. He looked at Rose and Rowen next. “Why don’t the two of you go wait for me in the car?”
Rowen nodded. She wasted no time in standing. Rose lingered, still a little taken aback. Rowen grabbed her by the forearm and dragged her out.
“What was that all about?” asked Rose, looking back at the house with her eyes wide.
“I don’t think he knew his wife was cheating on him with Roland,” she said. She was inclined to believe Roland when he had said that he was having an affa
ir with Ursula. Like she had told Ben, she was very good at reading people. If that was true, it would mean that Mr. Jamison wasn’t their killer. It didn’t make all of this pointless, though. “It still gives us a connection between the victims,” said Rowen.
“What’s that?” asked Rose, sounding completely lost in all of this.
Honestly, Rowen didn’t want to say. Of course, now she had to. “I don’t know for sure, but… And maybe I’m just being paranoid and egotistical, but…”
“Get on with it,” said Rose.
“It seems like all the victims hated us,” Rowen said, slowly, giving herself time to process that. “All of the victims had reason to hate the Greensmith family.”