Double Trouble

by Scott Wittenburg

  It seemed as though violent death was much more commonplace nowadays. He had to be the only PI who didn’t own a gun. Didn’t believe in them. And although owning a gun was a constitutional right, times had changed exponentially since our forefathers saw it fit that everybody have that right. Back then folks hadn’t been buying assault rifles at Walmart so they could blow away people like they’d swat a fly, for instance. If our forefathers could have foreseen that sort of thing happening some day, they most certainly would have reconsidered adding unconditional gun ownership to the bill of rights.

  He and Amanda were at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor.

  “You sure you don’t want to change your mind?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.”

  Referring to the layout of the house, he saw that the master bedroom would be past the spare bedroom and the bath on the right. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he could swear he smelled something foul. Like a dead body. This was ludicrous, of course because Jodi’s corpse had been taken to the morgue a week ago. Had to be his mind playing tricks.

  They reached the upstairs landing and stopped at the spare bedroom. The room was relatively bare except for a double bed and an antique dressing bureau. The bed had been stripped and processed for evidence and the drawers were all opened. Alan went over and peeked inside the closet, which contained nothing more than women’s clothes and a large collection of designer shoes.

  “Even the closets are neat,” he mumbled.

  “Considering that the police have been all through this place with a fine-toothed comb, it looks neater than a lot of homes I’ve been in,” Amanda said.

  “Gotta say, it makes me wonder just how fine-toothed that comb actually was.”

  “Are you suggesting that the cops may have not been as thorough as they could have? It wouldn’t surprise me,” Amanda asked.

  “I don’t know—something just doesn’t seem right. I’ve known of crime scenes that were closed off to outsiders for weeks and even months—especially when there has been a homicide involved. Yet this place was cleared after only a couple of days. I mean, I know this is a small town and law enforcement resources probably aren’t what you’d call ‘cutting edge,’ but the fact that there is not one shred of crime scene tape or a police sticker anywhere sorta bothers me.”

  “You think that could have something to do with Nick being framed?”

  “Hell, I don’t know. We need more facts before we jump to any conclusions. It may well be that the police have documented everything there is to in this place, end of story. Doesn’t mean there’s some kind of major conspiracy going on here.”

  Alan entered the room and stood in the doorway, observing the scene. Jodi’s body had been found at the foot of the bed, having been strangled by what the medical examiner concluded was a thin cord of some kind. She had been lying on her right side partially nude. Although there had been strong suspicion of sexual assault, nothing had been found to indicate any activity. She had some bruising on her face from being struck but no other sign of trauma elsewhere other than the horrendous deep cut on her neck resulting from strangulation.

  It had appeared as though she’d been caught off guard when she was strangled, judging by the condition of her body. The examiner reported that she had been strangled from behind and therefore virtually powerless against her attacker. Why she had been murdered in her bedroom at the foot of the bed was a mystery.

  “They’ve even removed the chalk marks,” Alan said, stepping over to the bed.

  “Is that unusual?”

  “I guess not, considering that they’re all done documenting the scene. How are you doing?”

  “Okay. It’s a little creepy knowing that she murdered right here just days ago. I’m sure glad there isn’t any blood, I have to admit.”

  “I’m trying to figure out why the guy killed her here. It might make more sense if she’d been raped first, but she hadn’t been. And since he most likely killed her after clearing out her safe, why go to the bother of bringing her upstairs to murder her?”

  “A blowjob, maybe?”

  “What?”

  “Maybe he forced her to perform oral sex. That might explain why there wasn’t any sign of assault. Would that show up at an autopsy?”

  “I don’t know, to tell you the truth. But it’s a good theory. We’ll mention it to your uncle when he gets here—see what he can find out from the coroner. But you don’t need to be in a bedroom for a knob job. That still doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

  “True.”

  “Come to think of it, maybe it wasn’t a blowjob, but something else. Maybe he decided to bring Jodi up here to rape her but then changed his mind. Instead, he ordered her to sit on the floor while he sits directly behind her on the bed. He then takes the ligature and suddenly strangles her.”

  “That sounds kinda crazy. Why in the world would he order her to sit on the floor facing away from him in the first place? She would definitely suspect that the next step would be an attack of some kind,” Amanda said.

  “Not if he made her think it was for some other reason. Like he was just going to just massage her shoulders or feel her up. Hell, I don’t know! It’s the only thing I can think of right now.”

  “I guess if I was being forced to do something in order to stay alive that anything is possible. Jodi was at his mercy and would have done anything he told her to do if it meant not being murdered. So your theory isn’t that crazy after all.”

  “Bottom line is that this guy got away with an awful lot without leaving a shred of evidence behind. Of course if Nick had been the perp it would explain a lot. He somehow cons Jodi into the bedroom for sex, strangles her instead and then helps himself to the loot. End of story.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t have said that.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Because it is so damn plausible! Jesus, we have got to come up with something soon before you make me start second-guessing myself about Nick. It’s driving me crazy!”

  Alan put a reassuring arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “We will. All we have to do is find somebody who knew about Jodi’s small fortune and how to get it. We need to find out who her friends were and if she had any kind of relationship going on with anybody. The police report is sketchy at best with regard to any interrogations that have been conducted in this case. I mean, other than Jodi’s parents, Nick’s parents, the neighbors and Nick himself, there isn’t indication of any sort of routine interviews having been conducted. That’s a little disturbing.”

  “You mean they haven’t even spoken to any of her friends?”

  “Not according to this report. We really need to talk to Ken about this.”

  As if on cue, they heard somebody open the front door.

  “That must be him,” Amanda said.

  “Sheriff’s department,” somebody called.

  Alan stared at Amanda and saw a look of bewilderment on her face.

  CHAPTER 6

  On the way down to the first floor, Alan had an ominous feeling about the sudden appearance of law enforcement at the house. Was there some kind of problem with he and Amanda being there? Was the department doing some follow-up work at the scene?

  They were about to find out. An obese man around six-foot-three wearing a khaki sheriff’s uniform emerged from the living room just as Alan and Amanda reached the bottom of the stairs. The look on the lawman’s face was flinty.

  “Hello, officer,” Alan greeted.

  “Would you folks care to tell me what you’re doing here?” he asked.

  “My name is Alan Swansea—I’m a private investigator. This is Amanda Linville, my associate. We’re here investigating the murder of Jodi Wilburn.”

  “Who hired you, Mr. Swansea?”

  “Ken Barker. He’s the attorney representing Nick Wilburn.”

  “I’m quite aware of that. And does Mr. Barker know you’re here?”

  “Yes,
as a matter of fact he’s meeting us here in a while. Is there some kind of problem with our being here, officer?”

  “I reckon not, although it would have been nice knowing beforehand you were coming. I was doing a drive-by to check up on the premises and saw your car.”

  “I see.”

  “You folks don’t look local.”

  Amanda said, “I’m originally from here but my family moved away several years ago. Alan and I live in Columbus.”

  “Linville, right? Can’t say as I recall that name. And I’ve lived in this area my whole life.”

  His apparent skepticism didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Well, we lived here my whole life until the summer of ninety-three. Would you like some proof, deputy?”

  Alan was in awe of her brashness. She really did resent the local authorities.

  “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Linville. And I’m the county sheriff—Sheriff Jim Foley. I wasn’t suggesting you were lying—it just seemed odd I’d never heard your family name before is all. Sorry if I offended you.”

  “No offense taken.”

  “So what are your thoughts about the case, Mr. Swansea?”

  “Too early to say, really. We just arrived in town today and know very little about it.”

  “I assume you don’t believe the husband did it since you’re working for the defense. Got any ideas of who may have done this then?”

  “As I said, it’s too early to tell.”

  “So what makes you so damn sure Nick Wilburn didn’t murder his wife? The evidence is pretty damn convincing he’s guilty.”

  “I’m not sure that Mr. Barker would want us to answer that, Sheriff. Was your office in charge of the investigation?”

  “Yup, sure was. We had some help with the city boys but it’s in our jurisdiction so it’s our case.”

  “I have to say I was a little surprised that this place was cleared so soon. I mean, what if there’s a need to re-examine the evidence? The crime scene will have been contaminated.”

  “You don’t know much about a criminal investigation, I see. Everything that is relevant to this crime has been carefully recorded and documented. All evidence has been processed, photos have been taken and the place has been cleared. No need to worry about any ‘contamination,’ Mr. Swansea.”

  The sheriff’s smug, condescending attitude was wearing thin on Alan. This tub of lard apparently felt some sort of need to show exactly who the boss is around these parts. The man with the big stick.

  “I guess you know what’s best, Sheriff. But I’m wondering; if there’s no longer any need to worry about people walking freely around this place, why are you still doing drive-bys?”

  The man’s face suddenly turned beet red. “That’s none of your damn business. And you know what? You’re both starting to annoy me with all this bullshit. Why Barker has decided to hire some big-city Colombo to investigate this no-brainer case is way beyond me, I can tell you that. You’re wasting your time here, Swansea. You and the little lady should go back to Columbus and solve the world’s problems there.”

  “Believe me, we won’t be able to get out of this hellhole, hick-town soon enough once we’ve proven Nick Wilburn’s innocence!” Amanda cried.

  The sheriff guffawed. “That’s sure a laugh! Well, I reckon I’ll let the two of you get on with your business, then. Tell Barker I’ll see him around.”

  With that, the sheriff carried his enormous girth to the door and left.

  “I can’t believe this,” Amanda said. “What a fricking pig!”

  “Really. So this is how the cops act around this town? No wonder you left the place!”

  “They’re crooked, like I told you. And they don’t mind showing it.”

  “Well, I think there may be more to this than just a rude, bad-ass county cop. Don’t know what it is, but I’d sure like to find out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Not sure. But it’s more than obvious Sheriff Foley is being less than open-minded about this case. As far as he’s concerned, this crime has already been solved and Nick is the perp. Granted, there’s plenty of evidence against Nick, but I actually think if somebody came along and confessed to murdering Jodi Wilburn, the sheriff wouldn’t believe it. This man seems hell-bent on convicting Nick for some reason.”

  “The ‘conspiracy theory,’ again?”

  “Maybe. One thing I want to do is see if Jodi’s laptop is around here somewhere. I saw it in a photo of the family room.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  The family room was located off the kitchen and it actually was a sunroom that had probably been added on to the original structure. Alan entered the room and looked around but couldn’t find Jodi’s computer.

  “There isn’t any indication her computer was taken into evidence in the report, but that doesn’t mean anything. The more I look at this report, the more slipshod the whole investigation seems. I really wish Ken would hurry up. Let’s call him and see when he’s coming.”

  Amanda got out her phone, punched in her uncle’s number.

  “Hi, we’re wondering when you think you’ll be here,” she said.

  She glanced at Alan. “Okay, see you in a few minutes.”

  “He’s almost here.”

  “Good. Can’t wait to see what he has to say about Sheriff Foley’s cameo appearance.”

  Alan went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. Inside was a half bottle of white wine, a six-pack of Miller Lite and not much else. The fridge looked as though it had been cleaned out except for the booze, which seemed a little odd.

  “Looks like Jodi enjoyed an occasional drink,” he said drily.

  “Yeah, but where’s all the food? Wonder if her parents threw everything out to keep it from spoiling?”

  “Could be. Probably figured the booze would keep.”

  They heard the sound of a car pull up outside so they headed toward the door. Ken Barker got out of his Mercedes carrying a black leather-bound briefcase.

  “Sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Got hung up downtown.”

  “You missed our visitor,” Amanda said.

  “Who was that?”

  “The sheriff.”

  Ken frowned. “What the hell did he want?”

  “Said he was just checking up on the house and decided to see whose car was parked outside.”

  “That’s interesting. Let’s go inside.”

  Ken led the way to the kitchen and set the briefcase down on the table.

  “So tell me what Foley said.”

  Alan filled him in and afterwards the attorney smiled. “Jim Foley is a real ‘good ol’ boy’ kind of guy. A super-conservative, self-righteous redneck that thinks the whole world begins here and ends outside of the county. All he ever talks about is how his ancestors settled this area and how screwed up the rest of the world is. Hates big cities, gay marriages, liberals, anything Democratic.

  “At any rate, it’s more than obvious he’s getting nervous now that he’s learned I’ve hired you to investigate this case—probably afraid we might somehow manage to clear Nick. The question is why? Why is this so important to him? I’ll tell you now, Alan, the local law enforcement in this town is sketchy at best. The reason is hard to explain but suffice to say that politics has a lot to do with it. We’ve had the same mayor for decades and he’s a shady character. Has his own circle of friends and way too much power for his own good. This sort of leadership has trickled down to all the ranks of local government I’m afraid to say, and it’s not helped this area progress through the years.”

  “But what about the prosecutor? You said he likes to be sure he has a solid case before he proceeds with a prosecution. I’d think he would have already had Nick arrested by now—especially with the sheriff so gung-ho to put him behind bars.”

  “That’s the kicker. Our D.A. is not only an honest man but a liberal. In other words, a thorn in the side of the local government. Jack Spradlin is one of the few good things about thi
s city and why he’s been elected. He’s a man folks know they can trust.”

  “I see. So what did you find out about the possible witness?”

  “Nothing. But the DA has warned the city detectives that they’d better start moving forward on this case. As I was telling you, there’s a lot of politics going on in the background and since the crime was committed in the county’s jurisdiction the city police feel like they’re playing second-fiddle. It’s really the sheriff’s case so they are feeling less than ambitious to pursue it much further. ”

  “But that’s ridiculous!” Amanda exclaimed. “A woman has been murdered and the city is going to just stand by while that arrogant slob handles the case? Nick won’t stand a chance if Foley gets his way.”

  “That’s the problem. And it’s exactly why I have you two to help me. We’re just going to have to do our own investigation if we want to see Nick cleared.”

  “Which brings me to a couple of questions,” Alan said. “Has anyone interviewed Jodi’s friends or coworkers at the salon? I didn’t see anything in the police report or your notes.”

  “That is number one on my list here,” Ken said, tapping the brief case. “You guys feeling hungry yet?”

  “Famished,” Amanda said. “I could eat a horse.”

  “There’s a nice Italian restaurant that just opened recently downtown that’s really good. Thought we might go there.”

  “An Italian restaurant in Milldale? I’m shocked!”

  “I figured you would be. Don’t know if you remember Tony Scalla, but his son recently graduated from culinary school and decided to open a restaurant. The place is doing great, believe it or not. Got some of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever tasted.”

  “I’m impressed. This I have to see.”

  “Great. Before I tell you my game plan, are there any questions you have about the scene?”

  “There doesn’t appear to be much left to see,” Alan replied drily. “It looks like everything’s already been packed up and taken away.”

  “I thought the same thing when I first saw this place. But they actually did a pretty thorough job here as far as I can tell. Just a little hasty in clearing it.”