Hidden Secrets

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Hidden Secrets Page 11

by Madison Johns


  Stuart sported a black eye and Moraine had a bandage on her brow.

  “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” I said.

  “Just another day in the life of FBI agents.” Eleanor chuckled.

  “It’s embarrassing to admit a senior citizen beat the crap out of us,” Moraine said.

  Stuart shot his wife a look. “We’re not here for shop talk.”

  “Oh, what’s the matter,” Eleanor asked. “It sounds like an interesting story. What were you busting him for, running a meth lab?”

  “Eleanor,” I warned.

  “Doing a wellness check.” Moraine smiled.

  “The man was the father or our supervisory agent,” Stuart said.

  “That’s understandable,” I said. “If someone I didn’t know showed up my house … .”

  “She’d call me to whip their you-know-what,” Eleanor interjected.

  “It’s always good to have someone you can lean on,” Moraine agreed.

  “Let’s get back to why we’ve called you here today,” I said. “I’m really happy that you both could meet with us.”

  Moraine, a vibrant brunette, nudged my muscular son with a flirty look.

  Stuart put his hands on the table. “What do you want, Mother? And please don’t waste our time telling me we’re assembled here to catch up.”

  “Don’t talk to your mother like that,” Moraine scolded.

  “Fine, I’ll keep it short,” I said. “I’m investigating a case and we’ve found out that the murder victim might have been —.“

  “We’re investigating the case,” Eleanor interjected.

  I sighed. “Getting back to particulars.” I narrowed my eyes at Eleanor. “The victim is the ex-husband of one of our friends.”

  “Oh no! Who?” Moraine asked, ignoring Stuart’s rolling eyes.

  “Bernice. You might remember we called her The Cat Lady in the past.”

  “I’ll bet that’s putting her in the sheriff’s crosshairs.”

  “Yes, but we’ve ruled her out. I’m not here to discuss the case exactly, but the victim’s daughter mentioned her father was a suspect in a string of murders when she was younger.”

  “Specifically missing hitchhikers,” Eleanor added.

  Stuart exchanged a look with Moraine and she quickly pulled out a notebook. “How old is the daughter?”

  “I’d say late twenties.”

  “We’ll head to back to Tawas with you,” Stuart said. “I’d like to speak to the daughter.”

  “It will help us determine what year we’ll need to begin our search,” Moraine added.

  “Mentioning hitchhikers makes me think of crimes that might have occurred in the sixties or seventies,” I said. “I don’t think women hitchhiked in the nineties, and they certainly don’t now.”

  “Which is why we’d like to question Bernice’s daughter,” Stuart said. “What’s her name?”

  “Callie Riley,” I said. I then brought Stuart and Moraine up to date on the case thus far.

  “You found a body stuffed in a barrel on Wilber’s property?” Stuart asked in shock.

  “Yes. And a bloodstain on the carpet in his house.”

  “So you believe that Wilber was a suspect in the murders of the hitchhikers?”

  “We believe someone might have found out where Wilber was living.”

  “And took their revenge,” Eleanor added.

  “Sounds like a complicated case,” Moraine nodded. “Has the body on the property been identified yet?”

  “No, but we learned it’s a woman,” I said.

  “It has to be Faith Fleur. The last time anyone saw her was two weeks ago,” Eleanor said.

  “I get killing Wilber, but why Faith?” Stuart asked.

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

  “I’m skeptical about the missing hitchhikers, but we’ll take a look at the open cases.”

  “And cases that involve missing young women,” Eleanor added.

  Eleanor and I paced the confines of the hallway at the motel where Callie and Angelo were staying. Stuart refused to allow us in on the conversation with Wilber’s children. And for once I let it go. I needed Stuart and Moraine’s take from the perspective of FBI agents.

  “Do you think it’s possible that Wilber had been killing young women when he was married to Bernice?” Eleanor asked me.

  “I’d rather not think about it.”

  “He certainly had his issues back then.”

  “We’ve already established he had an affair with another woman,” I said. “But if he was a monster, why would he press for custody?”

  “Maybe Bernice really wasn’t in any condition to take care of the children,” Eleanor said.

  “I can’t imagine what it will do to Bernice if she finds out she was married to a monster all those years.”

  “If you remember, the seed has already been planted with Bernice.”

  I pumped coins into a pop machine that looked like it was from the seventies. The plastic cover had tape holding the sign together, but at least it worked, and I grabbed the can that clattered from the machine. I held it against my hot face when Stuart and Moraine joined us.

  “We have the necessary information,” Stuart said. “We’ll be heading back to the office to sort this out.”

  “Don’t give up on your end,” Moraine said. “We might not find out anything useful.”

  “She’s right, but it’s certainly worth checking out.”

  “I just love it when you say I’m right,” Moraine said. “It makes me warm and giddy inside.”

  Stuart’s brow furrowed. “I’ll give you a call if I learn anything,” Stuart said.

  We walked Stuart and Moraine to their car. “So what did you think of Callie and Angelo?” I asked Stuart.

  “They’re upset, not that I blame them. If someone told me that my late father was a serial killer I don’t think I’d take it well either,” Stuart said. “Do yourself a favor and leave them alone. There’s a lot that can be said about loose surveillance.”

  “So we want Wilber’s children to relax enough to make a wrong move?” I asked.

  “It’s been known to happen.” Stuart shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to change up vehicles either.”

  “I knew there was a reason I called you,” I said.

  Chapter 14

  I met Andrew in the sheriff’s department parking lot as arranged when I’d called him. He was standing by his Lexus LX when Eleanor and I clambered out of Martha’s station wagon.

  “Thanks for meeting us, Andrew,” I said.

  His brow furrowed. “So lay it on me.”

  “Stuart and Moraine were in town, but they had to leave to check out a cold case.” I then told Andrew the specifics about what Stuart and Moraine were looking into.

  “And you two think someone waited until now to exact their revenge?”

  “It’s worth checking into.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Stuart mentioned it might be a good idea if Eleanor and I did a little surveillance,” I said.

  “We’re going to follow Bernice’s children,” Eleanor added.

  “And my son thought it might be a good idea to change vehicles. I hope you don’t mind if we take the LX.”

  “And drive what exactly?”

  “Your ride awaits you,” I said with a sweep of my arm toward Martha’s station wagon.

  “Where is your Mustang?”

  “Martha is still driving it. It’s much too small for Eleanor and me.”

  “I suppose you’re right. And I’m too tall to sit in it comfortably. I’d also need a pry bar to get Mr. Wilson out of it.”

  “So we’re good?”

  “Of course, dear! Please be careful,” Andrew said, exchanging keys with me.

  I gave him a quick kiss before Eleanor and I were on our way. We headed back to the motel and the sedan that Callie and Angelo had been driving around town. It was still parked outside of Room ten. Fortunately there was a
motel across the road from which we could conduct our stakeout.

  Eleanor moved the back of her seat down slightly and yawned. “How about you watch and I take a nap?”

  “Perhaps moving the seat back is a good idea; less conspicuous.”

  The traffic going to and from Tawas was sparse at best, allowing us a perfect view. I wished we’d brought a cooler. We could have filled it with soda and snacks of the candy bar variety.

  “Are we going to see Bernice later today?” Eleanor asked.

  “She’s at Elsie’s house, remember?”

  “That’s what I mean. Do you actually believe Bernice and Jack will get along?”

  “Jack is Elsie’s problem. Honestly, I don’t know if Bernice and Jack have ever mingled socially.”

  “Besides Elsie’s card parties, you mean.”

  “Elsie hasn’t had as many of those of late,” I said.

  “It’s too bad. I really looked forward to them,” Eleanor said.

  “Things have certainly changed since we got married.”

  “Well, that and Jack being on a diet. And now Bernice had a stroke. It has me thinking about my own mortality.”

  I shifted in my seat to look at Eleanor. From the somber expression on her face I knew she was serious. “I’d rather not think about it and live my life. Handle medical issues as they arise.”

  “We could drink less soda and watch what we eat more. Maybe even incorporate more salads in our diet.”

  I swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t mind eating salads, but I don’t want one for my last meal. Dr. Thomas suggested I lose a little weight and cut the fats, but the medication has brought my cholesterol down.”

  “I know I’m much bigger than you, but I don’t even have high blood pressure. Maybe I’m thinking too much about what happened to Bernice.”

  “She pulled through fine.”

  “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

  “Ouch!” I hissed when I slammed my knuckles on the steering wheel. “The suspects are on the move.”

  I repositioned my seat and cruised onto 23, following Angelo and Callie’s car toward Tawas from a distance. I swung into the Walmart parking lot when Angelo went through the McDonald’s drive-through and waited until they were back on the road. They headed up 55, and I followed suit. When they slowed so did I until they sped up. I lost them for a moment until I had an idea.

  “I bet they’re heading to their father’s house,” I said.

  “But it’s a crime scene. They must be up to something.”

  We passed Wilber’s house. The crime scene tape had been breached and car tracks led to the back of the house. I continued up the road before turning around and pulling into Robert Boyd’s driveway.

  “What are we doing here?” Eleanor asked.

  “We can almost see Wilber’s house from here, and I believe if we use the binoculars … we might be able to see the car Bernice’s children are driving in the back yard.”

  Eleanor pulled out the binoculars and I used them to spy on Wilber’s house.

  “Um, I hate to bother you, Agnes, but Robert is standing on his porch watching us.”

  I put the binoculars in Eleanor’s big black purse and we walked to meet Robert on his porch.

  “Hello,” I greeted. “I hope we didn’t come at a bad time.”

  “Looks to me that you’re trying to spy on Wilber’s house, not pay me a visit.”

  “Not true,” I said.

  “There’s been an unexpected development in our investigation,” Eleanor said. “Could we come inside and talk with you about it?”

  “Might as well since you came all the way here.”

  Eleanor and I sat on the couch Robert pointed to. He sat opposite us in a leather recliner. I glanced out his picture window. He had the perfect view of Wilber’s property.

  “You have a good view of Wilber’s house from here,” I said.

  “I suppose you’re right. It’s been busy over there the last few days. I’ve never seen so many cops coming and going. And with heavy equipment.”

  “What do you suppose they’re looking for?” Eleanor asked.

  “Whatever it is, must be important.”

  “Did you happen to notice the sedan that pulled in over there?” I asked.

  “Yup. Who you suspect it is?”

  “His children are in town. Probably one of them.”

  “Shouldn’t be crossing the crime scene tape.”

  “I know. We got into trouble with the sheriff for doing just that,” I said.

  “So you’re the ones who stirred things up.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “First you two go snooping around over there, and then the cops show up like flies on hot garbage. What’s really going on over there?”

  “We found a body.”

  “A body? Who?”

  “I don’t have a clue. We were hoping you had more information than you told us the last time.”

  Robert gritted his teeth. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Agnes, would you quit harassing the man,” Eleanor asked. “We heard that Wilber might have been suspected of a murder.”

  “We can’t keep this from Robert. He has the right to know the truth,” I said. “And it’s murders, not a murder.”

  Robert flopped back in his chair. “What murders?”

  “We don’t know exactly, but word has reached us that he was suspected in the disappearances of female hitchhikers years ago.”

  Robert massaged his stubbled chin. “How long are we talking here?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Eleanor said.

  “We think it was when Wilber’s children were much younger.”

  “Wilber has lived here only five years.”

  It was my turn to fall back, which was basically an act for Robert’s benefit. I knew Wilber hadn’t lived in Tawas long. “It appears we might have made a big mistake.”

  “Don’t get too hasty now. You said you found a body over there besides Wilber’s. That must mean something.”

  “You’re quite perceptive,” I said.

  “I was an insurance investigator. It comes with the territory.”

  “I was thinking you were a cop or PI.”

  “You’d be shocked how many phony insurance scams there are.”

  I handed Robert our card. “Give us a call if you can think of anything else. Wilber’s ex-wife is a good friend of ours.”

  “Wilber was leading her to believe they’d get back together, I think,” Eleanor said. “She said he was acting strange before his disappearance. She didn’t know he was dead in his house all that time.”

  “Way it sounds, there was more to Wilber than any of us thought,” Robert said. “You’ll get a better view of Wilber’s place from inside with those binoculars.”

  “Sounds like something you know a lot about,” I said.

  I glanced through the binoculars and sighed when I didn’t notice Angelo’s car. “Seems we missed him.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure, but you might be able to flush them out. Call the cops and tell them someone is lurking around over there.”

  “But what if they’re not?”

  “Only way you’ll know. If you drive in the driveway they’ll know you’re spying on them.”

  “I wonder why they’d be over there,” I said. “It just seems strange because they’re considered suspects. You notice Wilber’s children over there a few weeks before he was murdered?”

  “Like I told you earlier, the black SUV is the only vehicle I saw over there.”

  “Do you know Faith Fleur? Supposedly she was the one over to Wilber’s.”

  “She delivers groceries for Neiman’s,” Eleanor added.

  “She could be a suspect too,” Robert said.

  “We thought so, but she’s nowhere to be found. She hasn’t been seen for two weeks.”

  “You think she’s dead?”

  “We don’t know yet. We’re waiting for the corone
r to identify the body.”

  “I don’t envy you ladies. I never had to investigate a murder, although there was a man who faked his own death. He had a sizable life insurance policy that was paid to his widow. Poor woman had no idea her husband wasn’t dead after all. She had to pay all the funds back. It was a sad case.”

  “How awful,” Eleanor said.

  I called the sheriff, who promised to have a deputy check out Wilber’s property. Eleanor and I thanked Robert and left.

  Chapter 15

  Eleanor and I waded through cats when we arrived at Elsie’s house. Apparently a provision of Bernice coming here to stay involved allowing her to bring her cats.

  The cats parted and weren’t nearly as aggressive as they were when at Bernice’s house. Of course, I could imagine they were territorial there and now they didn’t know what was going on.

  Elsie waved us inside the door. We had to slide in to prevent one of the cats getting inside.

  “It was right kind of Elsie to allow Bernice to bring her cats here,” Rosa Lee said as she reclined on the rocking chair with a glass of lemonade.

  Elsie bristled. “I did no such a thing.”

  “My cats are better than any watchdog, you’ll see,” Bernice said from a card table where she sat with Jack. “We’re playing dice.”

  “We’re in the middle of a game,” Jack said. “She has me by two-thousand points and I’m about to win the game.”

  “Not when I roll a five-hundred,” Bernice replied.

  “I wouldn’t get in the middle of them two. They’ve been at it since Bernice arrived.” Elsie laughed. “And here I was worried they wouldn’t have anything in common.”

  “It shouldn’t have been too much of a stretch. We all like to play cards and dice,” Rosa Lee said, taking a sip of lemonade.

  “We weren’t expecting to see you today, Rosa Lee,” I said.

  She shrugged. “Beats cleaning up spit.”

  I almost choked. “Spit?”

  “Yup. Those boys of mine behaving like fools on account of the girl.” She shook her head. “You need a boarder?”

 

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