“What’s wrong with you, Charlie?” I asked. I got up from my seat and ushered her over to a chair.
“Is Sydney dead?” she asked tears streaming down her face.
“No,” I said. “Why would you think that?”
“I heard that there was an ambulance and the Sheriff over at Oliver’s place. I know that’s where she was staying.” She was crying so hard now that she could barely catch her breath. “I . . . I thought . . .”
“It’s okay,” I said trying to calm her. Take your time.” I looked over at Miss Vivee. “Can you make her some tea?”
Miss Vivee rolled her eyes. She didn’t budge.
“I’ll get her some tea,” Brie said. “And some tissue.”
“Did he kill Oliver?” Miss Vivee asked. “Is that what you came to tell us?”
“What? No!” Charlie said and shook her head vigorously. “He wouldn’t . . . He couldn’t’ve.”
“Well you came here to tell us something he’s done,” Miss Vivee said. “Something bad from the way you’re acting.”
Charlie’s eyes were wide, showing disbelief. “I know,” she said fumbling with the tissue that Brie had given her. She held in her hands that sat in her lap. “I didn’t think he could. Would do something like that.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“I think he hurt Sydney. Did something in her house. He was so mad about her getting everything.”
“So then,” Miss Vivee said not letting up. “Did he kill Oliver?”
“No. Renmar Colquett did that.”
Not having heard the bell over the door, everyone turned surprised at the voice behind us. It was Tom Bowlen. Standing in the archway, he had a smirk on his face, hands on his hip, legs spread apart, he looked like Peter Pan.
Renmar shot up out of her seat. “What are you talking about?”
“Your fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.”
Tom Bowlen’s eyes never left Renmar’s as he spoke, and she not giving in stared back.
“Murder weapon?” Miss Vivee and I said at the same time.
“There was no murder weapon.” Miss Vivee said. “He was poisoned.”
“And how did you know that?” Tom asked turning his eyes toward her. “It’s important that FBI business stays that way. Bay shouldn’t have told you anything.”
“I didn’t tell them anything,” Bay said coming into the room. “And you shouldn’t have come here without me.”
Bay always seemed to get in the house without setting the bell off. I’d have to remember how sneaky he is.
“Oh. Bay.” Renmar looked to Bay. “What is going on? I was just fixin’ to go up to Augusta with Sydney. She’s been hurt.” Renmar looked over at Charlie. “What is he talking about?”
“Oliver died from nicotine poisoning.”
Miss Vivee started waving her hand. I just knew she was going to try and hit me, so I scooted over, away from her.
“We checked all the bottles out of Oliver’s house for a higher concentration than what was marked,” Bay continued. “Something that would be enough to kill him. But none of them tested for a concentration higher than what was on the bottle. But then we found another bottle.” He lowered his eyes and then looked up at his mother. “A Mason jar that had a butterfly on it. In it we found trace amounts of a lethal dosage of nicotine. It was nearly pure nicotine.” He took in a sharp breath. “Nicotine with the same chemical makeup as the one that was used to kill Oliver.”
“And your fingerprints were found on the outside of the jar,” Tom Bowlen said. He seemed to be enjoying the whole thing.
Bay, I could tell was not liking what was going on, but still he was very business-like, which seemed to be upsetting Renmar.
“Bay. I-I . . .” She looked back around at us. “Those weren’t my jars.”
“Did you have those jars, Ma?”
“No,” she said. “I mean. Yes. I had the jars. But they were Koryn’s. She ordered them to make preserves.” Her bottom lip started to quiver and she nervously fiddled with her fingers.
“Where is Koryn,” Bay asked.
“Gone,” Miss Vivee and I said in unison.
“I didn’t kill Oliver,” Renmar said. “Oliver was family.” Tears started to roll down her cheeks. “I wouldn’t even know how to kill someone. I’m not capable . . .”
Yeah, well, not according to your mother. She thinks you’re more than capable.
“Don’t worry, Ma,” Bay said to her. He started to walk toward her but Tom held him back.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Agent Colquett.” Tom looked from Bay to Renmar and back. “With it being family and all. I called in another agent to handle this.”
Bay squinted his eyes. “So then why not wait for the agent? Why did you come here?”
“I wanted to make sure that she didn’t get away.” Tom pointed at Renmar. “Your mother. And I was right,” he said and glanced over at Renmar. “She was just getting ready to flee.”
“I was not,” Renmar southern accent came out fierce and strong. She stood up straighter and squared her shoulders. “And I resent the insinuation. I am not a woman to shirk my duties. Whatever they may be.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“We’ll go up to Augusta,” Miss Vivee said to me. “The two of us. Renmar wanted to be there for Sydney. Since she can’t, we will.” She looked at me and nodded her head. “Come with me while I get ready.”
Sure enough another agent came for Renmar. Actually it was two agents along with the Sheriff. They took Renmar in for questioning. The agents weren’t nearly as harsh as Tom Bowlen with Bay. When Bay said he was coming and he’d take his mother, they were fine with that.
I looked down at myself and thought I probably needed to change and be more presentable myself. Even in front of Bay’s coworkers. I had on cut-off shorts and a T-shirt.
Once in the room, Miss Vivee seemed not to be able to concentrate, even telling me she felt “discombobulated.” I didn’t know what to say to her.
All this time thoughts of Renmar possibly being the killer had been swirling around in my head. Now looking at Miss Vivee, her child being detained, she looked helpless and I felt bad for ever thinking it.
Now I see what my mother means, your child, no matter how old, is still your baby.
“I was there when that box came,” I said trying to help her change her mood. She liked talking murder. “Those were Koryn’s jars. She claimed them. Said she was going to use them to make preserves. Just like Renmar said.”
“Koryn’s?” Miss Vivee said thoughtfully.
“Yeah,” I said. “They came in the mail. But they came after Oliver died.”
“After?” She sat down on the bed. Holding on to one of her many coats. She seemed lost, giving one word answers.
“Yeah,” I said and sat down next to her. “They were addressed to Renmar. She opened the box and picked up one of the jars.”
“So she touched it?”
“Uh-huh. Yep. She touched it. But Koryn took the jars. Picked up the whole box of them and said she was going to put them in the trash.” I looked at Miss Vivee, the incident replaying in my head. “I remember Renmar saying she didn’t want them. She’d said with your bottles of herbs in her cabinets, it would just be more clutter.”
“When was that?” Miss Vivee asked.
“The day of the memorial service. And other people were in the kitchen. Charlie. Me. Brie.” I glanced at Miss Vivee. “So that means she didn’t do it and that the jar had to be put there after the murder.”
“Well, there sure weren’t any Mason jars like that when we were there. Unless it was in the kitchen. We never had a chance to look there.” She thought for a moment. “But I can’t picture Oliver having anything like that at his house. He wasn’t one for canning. He wanted something to eat, he came to the Maypop.”
“We could ask Bay where it was found,” I suggested. “Speaking of Bay,” I said recalling something else. “He’s the one that told Sy
dney she could stay in the house, remember? He said they were finished searching it. And that was after the memorial service.”
“Yes. I do remember,” Miss Vivee said. “It was at the lawyer’s office. After the reading of Oliver’s will. He told her she could go and stay there.”
“That’s when she left the Maypop,” I said. “So that means it had to be put there after the memorial service but before Sydney moved in.”
“Right,” Miss Vivee said lost in thought.
I sat thinking for a moment. “So. It wouldn’t even make sense for Renmar to plant a jar with her fingerprints if she’s the one that killed Oliver.” I said.
“Maybe Koryn went later and pulled them out,” Miss Vivee said slowly. I could see the wheels in her brain churning.
I hunched my shoulders. But I thought, Why would she throw away the bottles just to go back and get them?
“She’s been putting on a good show for all of us,” Miss Vivee said.
“Who? Koryn?” I asked. “You think she’s been putting on an act?”
“If she killed Oliver she’s been putting on an act.”
“Wait! Whoa! Remember how you thought her not capable of murder,” I said and lifted an eyebrow. “When Gemma Burke was killed you said she’d have to be a psychopath to have committed the murder and still go about her daily life without a second thought.”
“People change,” she said and shrugged.
“Maybe so. But people don’t turn into psychopaths overnight.” I really couldn’t decide whether I bought the idea of Koryn Razner being the killer.
“Did you tell Koryn about Oliver’s argument with Renmar?” Miss Vivee asked.
“Nooo,” I said drawing out the word. Trying to remember. “But,” I said. “She was sitting behind us when we were at the Jellybean.”
“The day we told Mac about it,” Miss Vivee said and gazed off.
“She could have heard us.” I nodded. “She also told me she had a degree in chemistry,” I said.
“She said that?”
“Yeah. The day Oliver died. When we were on the Island.”
“So. She’d know about nicotine being a plant alkaloid.”
“And that is was lethal.” I agreed with that. “But why?” I said. “Why would she kill Oliver and blame Renmar?”
“Remember that day she was in the closet?”
I chuckled. “The day she was screaming in the closet.”
“Yes. That day,” Miss Vivee said. “She hated what Oliver was doing to those woman.”
“Enough to kill?” I asked. “Not liking someone . . .” I stopped mid-sentence. “You know what?” I said and looked over at Miss Vivee. “Koryn told me she didn’t like Renmar.”
“Do tell,” Miss Vivee said.
“That day at the site,” I said slowly.
“So. Motive,” Miss Vivee said. “She didn’t like what Oliver did to those women. And she didn’t like Renmar.” She looked at me. “For whatever reason, right?” I nodded in agreement. “So she could kill, no pun intended, two birds with one stone. Get rid of Oliver and Renmar by killing one and framing the other.” I nodded again. Miss Vivee put up a finger and held it, then added another. “Two,” she said. “Means.”
“She’s a chemist,” I said.
“So she’d know that nicotine could kill.”
“But where did she get it from?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “We’ll have to work that one out.” She patted my knee. “Now. Opportunity.”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I do,” Miss Vivee said. “She left Mac and I that day on the shoal after we ate. You were still out doing your work. I thought at first she went back over where you were until she screamed.”
“When she found the body,” I said slowly my eyes wide.
We looked at each other and said, nearly in unison, “Koryn did it.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
I must admit it felt really good having solved the murder along with Miss Vivee. How were we going to find Koryn Razner, was another story. I had no idea where in Nevada she’d gone.
If she even went to Nevada.
Miss Vivee got a pep in her step after that. We found Brie and Miss Vivee told her she had to go to Augusta and be with Sydney for Renmar. Brie tried to put up a fuss about it. Not wanting to drive alone. It was dark out. But Miss Vivee wasn’t having any of it, and if nothing else Brie, at fifty-something didn’t want to go against something her mother asked her to do.
I probably could learn something from that.
Once we put the clues together and determined that it had been Koryn that killed Oliver, Miss Vivee was ready to take action. I don’t know what Miss Vivee thought we could do. Or how she thought we could prove it. But she seemed determined to do whatever.
Unless, of course, we got a complete confession from Koryn. Then we wouldn’t need to follow any clues.
But short of that, the first thing to do, according to Miss Vivee, was search the room Koryn had stayed in and see if she’d left any “evidence” behind.
After Brie left for Augusta, Miss Vivee had me lock up the house. She didn’t want anyone coming in while we did our search. As late as it was, past desert serving time, I doubted that anyone would come, still I did as she instructed.
I also doubted Koryn had left anything behind that would incriminate her. But as usual I followed Miss Vivee’s lead.
“Maybe we should tell Bay what we figured out,” I said to Miss Vivee as I checked the lock on the back door.
“I think that’s a good idea,” she said.
What? She agreed with me?
“But I want to have a looksee first.”
I knew that was too good to be true.
We headed to the front of the house, Cat in tow, and locked that door, but before I could get Miss Vivee halfway up the steps, there came a knock at the door.
“Don’t answer it,” Miss Vivee said as I turned to see who it was.
“Why,” I frowned up. “Might be important.”
“Not as important as getting proof that Renmar didn’t kill Oliver.”
“Miss Vivee,” I said and went to the door. “Finding out who’s at the door is not going to stop us from helping Renmar.” I opened the door and couldn’t believe my eyes. So I shut it back.
“Who was that?” Miss Vivee asked. Cat scampered over to it and started wagging his tail and barking.
I turned and looked at her. “You’ll never believe it.”
“I won’t have to believe it, if you let them in. I’ll see it with my own eyes.”
I took in a breath and pulled the door open again.
“It just might help us even more,” I said staring at the person that stood on the other side of it.
Cat ran out the door to the visitor.
“Hey, girl,” the visitor said and stooped down to scratch Cat around the ears. Cat’s tail was wagging at full speed, both of them happy as larks. She looked at me. “Why was the door lock?”
It was Koryn Razner.
I looked up at Miss Vivee. “It’s Koryn,” I said, half whispering. I didn’t know what to stay. Or how to act. I looked at Miss Vivee as she was trying to scramble down the steps.
“Come on in, Koryn,” I said.
Wait! Did I just invite the murderer in the house?
“I was just getting ready to go around the house and try the back door,” she said. “Thought I might have to climb through a window,” she chuckled.
“They’re locked, too,” I said with a dumb smile on my face.
We’re locked tight in a house with you, you little psychopath.
“Locked. Unlocked. I can get in,” she said smiling. “It’s easy. I had to run to get out of the way of trouble lots of times.”
Evidently she was not only a killer, she was a master at breaking and entering. She would have been a lot of help to us when we broke into Oliver’s place.
Wait. Oliver. Killer. Koryn.
I stepped
farther back from her.
Miss Vivee made her way back down the stairs and sat on her bench. Koryn sat next to her. That made me want to grab Miss Vivee by her arm and drag her away from Killer Koryn. Miss Vivee, however, didn’t look the least bit frightened. She sat there, staring at, or past, I couldn’t tell, Koryn deep in thought.
“I’d gotten to Augusta, headed for the airport,” Koryn was just talking away. “When I got a call that said my place that they got for me wouldn’t be ready for another week. So I’m back. For another week.”
She seemed quite pleased with her announcement.
“You think that’ll be okay with Renmar?” Koryn asked she jumped up and headed up the stairs without waiting for an answer.
“I think it’ll be fine,” Miss Vivee said. “But Renmar isn’t here.”
Koryn stopped and put her hand on the banister. Looking down at us, she said, “Oh. Well I can speak to her when she gets back.”
I don’t think I’d ever seen Koryn so full of energy and definitely, I’d never seen her smile so much.
Maybe she really is a psychopath.
“They arrested Renmar for killing Oliver,” Miss Vivee said. Koryn’s face went flush.
“Renmar? No!” She said.
“Found her fingerprints on a Mason jar. One with a butterfly on it,” Miss Vivee said watching Koryn. I had my eyes on her, too. I wanted to know how a psychopath would act when confronted with the truth. “Do you know anything about those jars?”
“Are you talking about those jars that I ordered?” Koryn asked. “The ones I was going to use for preserves?” She looked at me.
“Those very same,” I said.
“Well how could she have used those?” Koryn asked. “They didn’t come until after Oliver was dead.”
“It’ll all be okay,” Miss Vivee said to Koryn. Her voice had changed and the lines that had been etched in her forehead since Renmar was taken away had disappeared. “Bay is on it. He’ll see to them knowing that his mother didn’t do it.” Miss Vivee smiled at her. “Go on up to your room, it’s just like you left it.”
Coastal Cottage Calamity (A Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 12