All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 7)

by Ann Mullen

  “He’s a good man and a great sheriff. He’ll find her. I know he will. He’s like a hound dog. He never gives up.”

  “What’s really weird is that he had asked Vera to accompany him to this wedding celebration,” Savannah added. “He had a crush on her until she turned out to be a criminal.”

  “I bet that was a downer,” I joked. “Nothing like finding out that the person you like is one of the bad guys… or gals… in this case.”

  “Who’s a bad guy?” a familiar voice asked.

  I turned to see Detective Frank Trainum and his wife, Alexandra. Frank, a former detective for the D.C. Police Department, was now working for the Charlottesville Police Department, and at one time he was determined to throw me in jail. Fortunately, I turned out to be one of the good guys and his admiration for me grew.

  “Well… at one time I thought you were,” I said. “I know better now.”

  “I thought for sure you were a psycho,” he joked.

  “She is,” Mom interrupted, dressed in her simple, soft blue wedding dress. “So you’d better watch out. There’s no telling what she’ll do next.” She looked at me. “Your sister would like a minute of your time if you don’t mind.”

  I excused myself, grabbed Mom’s hand, and the two of us walked away. In passing, I saw Flo and Mick Garner talking to Billy. I waved, but didn’t stop. I was sure that Billy would tell me what they had to say later, but for right now, I was in the mood to celebrate, not discuss work. I like Flo and Mick, but I hope they don’t have another job for us anytime soon. I barely survived the last one.

  Claire wore a beige, frilly designer wedding gown, and looked so beautiful. I had always been a little jealous of her, but not anymore. I’ve matured.

  “You look so pretty,” I said, hugging her. I leaned close and said, “I haven’t talked to you much about the new baby. How’s that working for you?” I smiled.

  She rubbed her belly and said, “Very well, thank you. Seven more months to go.”

  We both glanced at Mom.

  “After Carl, nothing bothers her anymore,” Claire added. “A pregnant bride is nothing new nowadays.”

  “Yuck! Carl! Think of something good. Where’s that wonderful new husband of yours?”

  “He’s somewhere in the crowd,” she answered, looking around. “The last time I saw him he had Benny and Carrie with him, and they were looking for his folks.” She leaned over and whispered, “They have a big surprise for us. Well… it’s not really a surprise. You know how his mother, Abigail and his aunt, Isabel are. They can’t keep a secret.”

  “What’s the surprise?”

  “They bought us a boat for a wedding present.”

  “A boat! That’s so cool. Tell me about it. How big is it?”

  “It’s big… really big!”

  “What’s big?” Abby asked, walking over to us.

  “The boat!” I exclaimed. “I can’t wait to go sailing in it.”

  “It’s not a sailboat, my dear,” Izzy said, slipping out from behind her sister. “And it’s big enough to take out the whole family. You’re going to love it.”

  “I’m sure I will. We have a helicopter.”

  “I heard,” Pete said as he showed his face.

  Pete was Randy’s father. He’d had some health issues in the past, but he looked fit as a fiddle today. He was thrilled that his son finally got the woman of his dreams. Randy had been in love with Claire since the day he first laid eyes on her. Unfortunately, Claire had married Carl the Jerk, a man I never liked. Fortunately, she wised up and had dumped him.

  I used to have visions of Carl being eaten by a bear, so when thoughts of him came to mind, so did Mama Bear and her two cubs. If they were going to eat anybody, it should be Carl. I laughed at myself and my wild thoughts. There ought to be a law...

  “What’s so funny, `ge ya?” Billy asked, walking up. “Are you getting into trouble?”

  “Never,” I replied. “I was just having a moment of good thoughts.”

  He looked so handsome in his tuxedo. He had been Jonathan’s best man, and I thought to myself that he truly was. Billy was the cream of the crop. There just aren’t many like him out there.

  “Helene’s going to take the kids home. They’re tuckered out. You want to give them a kiss before they leave?”

  I excused myself and followed Billy to see my children. On the way, we met up with Sheriff Hudson, who was talking with Russell Shank. The sheriff looked a little rough, and Russell looked a lot heartbroken. The sheriff had probably lost a lot of sleep in his search for Vera, and Russell had just plain lost his heart.

  “You guys look as if you’ve seen better days,” I said. “Both of you have been working too hard. Vacation is the word. That’s what you need.”

  “I’m sure we do,” Sheriff Hudson replied. “I know I could sure use one, what with chasing down the criminal queen and trying to keep my eyes on you two at the same time, I’m exhausted.” He looked at Russell. “How about you?”

  Russell just shook his head.

  I stepped closer to Russell and asked, “Are you going to make it? You look so forlorn. Love will come back into your life again.”

  “I’m just about ready to give up on the dating scene,” he replied. “It’s too much work. I’m worn out just looking.”

  “I felt the same way you do for a long time, but one day the right girl will come along and you’ll change your mind.”

  “I sure hope so. I’m tired of being single. I want a woman!”

  “You’ll see. Look at me. I’m living proof. I gave up, and then I found Billy.” I smiled. “See how happy I am?”

  Sheriff Hudson patted Russell on the back and said, “Sometimes, women are more trouble than they’re worth, pal. You’re better off being single. They just break your heart anyway.”

  “Jesse, why do women treat men like they’re playthings?” Russell asked. “They use us, and then they toss us aside. It’s become a game with them, and they tire of us so easily.”

  “They learned it from the men in their life. If men didn’t treat us that way, we wouldn’t be like that to them. It’s a learned condition.”

  Russell’s mood changed when he looked over at a pretty blond standing with a group of women. “Excuse me, but I see a toy I want to meet.” He walked off.

  “He sure recovers quickly,” I said. “I’m glad to see he hasn’t really lost faith in love.”

  “Speaking of losing faith,” Sheriff Hudson said. “I’m concerned that you and Billy aren’t taking your promise seriously.”

  “You can stop worrying about us,” Billy said. “We will live up to our end of the deal.”

  The sheriff looked at us with those skeptical eyes and said, “Sure. That’ll be the day. The ink’s barely dry on the paper, and you’re already doing sneaky stuff.”

  “If you’re talking about Vera,” I said, interjecting, “we stumbled on that one by accident.”

  “I’m talking about hiring your mother and her new husband to do your dirty work. You’re not fooling anybody.”

  “His name is Edward Wilson, but we call him Eddie.” I smiled. “Hey, I just thought of something. Their last name starts with the same initial. They won’t have to buy new monogram towels.”

  “Only you would think of that,” Lu Ann said, jokingly, dressed in a beautiful, curve-hugging white wedding gown. It was her first marriage. She hugged me. “I want you to know that I wanted to ask you to be a bridesmaid, but I didn’t, because I thought you were already taken. I’m surprised your mother or your sister didn’t ask you. I thought for sure...”

  “Yeah, I lucked out on that one,” I replied. “My family knows they can’t take me anywhere. I’m socially inept and don’t function well when people are looking at me. With my luck, I’d probably trip on my gown and fall flat on my face. The family would never recover from their embarrassment.” I laughed.

  The celebration continued late into the day until the dark clouds started rolling in. By then
, everyone had partied about as much as they were going to. The newly married couples set out on their honeymoons, and the rest of us were left to either go home, or help clean up. Billy and I opted to stay. I figured it was the least I could do. I had been let out of being a bridesmaid, everyone knowing my problems with social graces, so I had to contribute in some way. Manual labor was something I could do.

  Mom and Eddie flew to Las Vegas for their honeymoon. I was surprised she would agree to go to the gambling mecca of the world, since she was so against betting, but she said it didn’t matter where they went, as long as they were together. Eddie really wanted to go to Vegas, so she was going to go where he wanted. She could overlook the heathens who threw their hard earned money away on such an evil game if it meant making him happy. She has such a good heart.

  Claire and Randy spent their honeymoon on their new boat. The kids, Benny and Carrie, went with them… along with Pete, Abby, and Izzy. What a cruise that was going to be!

  Jonathan and Lu Ann took the helicopter to Virginia Beach. Both of them have traveled extensively due to their jobs, so they wanted to stay close to home. Keep it personal… cozy. At least, that’s what they said.

  I think Jonathan was worried about his mom. Sarah hadn’t been looking too well lately, and I was afraid there might be something going on that I didn’t know about. When I mentioned it to Billy all he said was that she was fine.

  That night, Billy and I sat in the swing on the front porch and reminisced about recent events. There was a light, steady rain coming down, and the air smelled so clean.

  “Sheriff Hudson said Donald Rhodes found a diary that Wynona had kept,” Billy said. “It was very explicit. She didn’t hold back one bit.”

  “What was in it?”

  “Everything she did, she wrote about it in that book. And she did a lot of bad things. She described her deeds in vivid detail.”

  “She wrote about all the people she killed?”

  “In graphic language. She talked about how good it made her feel, and how she couldn’t wait until the next time someone tried to stand in her way. She would stop them in their tracks.”

  “That’s sick. Why would she incriminate herself like that? I can’t believe she put it all down on paper! That’s just plain nuts. The woman wasn’t right in the head.”

  “She never expected anyone to read her diary, but then again, she never expected to die either. It just goes to show that keeping a journal isn’t a very wise thing to do.”

  “I used to keep a journal. That was before I actually had a life to write about. I’m way too busy to waste my time on writing about what I do. I want to live it.”

  “There’s more news.”

  “I don’t think I want to hear it, unless it’s happy news.”

  “Sheriff Hudson said that Bruno Michaels is going to plead diminished capacity, and most likely he’ll get off. He did lose his head when he found out about his sister.”

  “Good! I’m glad to hear it. He doesn’t deserve to go to prison.”

  “I told your mom that they could take on the case of that body shop guy when they return from their honeymoon. She sounded excited about the prospect.”

  “Have you talked about the case with Lila? Do you even know any of the particulars?”

  “I haven’t had time, but how involved could it be? It’s a body shop. Can’t be too much excitement there.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said, laying my head on his shoulder. “This is nice. It’s so peaceful out here. I could sit in this swing all night.”

  “Enjoy it, because tomorrow we start on our Winnebago trip.”

  “You hurt your knee, and I got shot in the chest. We deserve a little fun. Have you thought about where we’re going?”

  “Who cares?” Billy said, kissing me on the forehead. “Sometimes last minute plans can turn out to be the best laid plans.”

  “Yeah, right,” I snickered. “And everyone in jail is innocent.”

  … to be continued.

  No More

  Roger and Denise Sutton lived the fairy tale life. They had everything going for them, something everyone wants—a nice home, lots of money, and a good relationship. He worked at a law firm in Charlottesville as a paralegal, and she was a reporter for the Stanardsville Gazette. Both loved their jobs, and they loved each other. They were happier than either thought possible.

  But somewhere along the line, in those days of floating on air, things started to change. Going into their second year of marital bliss, Roger’s bad side started to emerge. First, there were small changes in his behavior. He would get mad over the slightest thing, and then start yelling at Denise. Then came the night he slapped her for spilling a glass of milk. A month later, he kicked her in the stomach. That was after he’d knocked her to the floor. It went downhill from there. A month after that, he was yelling, hitting, or kicking her on a regular basis. Their life together got ugly fast.

  No one ever suspected a problem at 6120 Red Hills Road.

  Vacation time rolled around, so they set out on their trip like they had last year by arguing about how long they were going to stay at his folks’ house—and why they couldn’t spend more time with her sister.

  Furious to no end, but with no way to vent, Denise knew she’d have to reign in her emotions if she wanted to avoid another scene like the one last night. She had pushed him too far, and he had retaliated by screaming at her for a solid hour, before he delivered the first blow. Most of the time, he’d beat and yell at her at the same time. Last night had been one of his long, drawn-out episodes.

  You see, Roger Sutton was an abuser.

  Denise didn’t know that when she married him, or she would’ve run the other way… and real fast. But that was then, and this is now. Now she was stuck in a relationship with a man whose new mission in life was to hurt her. She shared this secret with no one, except her sister.

  Why didn’t she leave him, you ask? Fear and control. Through physical violence, he controlled her every move, her every thought, and because of this, she was too scared to go against him. Plus, she still loved him, even after all the terrible things he’d done to her. She might be able to forgive him and love him the way she used to, if he’d change, but that wasn’t going to happen. She’d finally resigned herself to the fact.

  During one of their many arguments, Roger told Denise he’d kill her if she ever tried to leave him. It’s a story everyone’s heard a thousand times. She leaves; he comes after her, drags her home, and then beats her worse than the time before. Like a hawk, he’d swoop in with his razor-sharp talons and snatch his prey by the neck. For his final show of victory, he gives one last squeeze with his powerful claws. The prey is beaten.

  Abusive relationships never end well. In the end, someone’s going to die. That’s the way it is.

  Denise was smart enough to know she had to get away from Roger, but she was scared to leave, and scared to stay. So she did the only thing she knew to do… she played the waiting game. She did nothing and kept quiet, waiting for him to be the husband she had married. Eventually, things would get better. What else could she do? She thought about going to church to ask God for guidance, but Roger would never allow her to go anywhere. She prayed in silence… but found no answers. Go with the flow, she told herself. It’ll get better. I have to do better.

  Eight glorious days! They could do whatever they wanted, but Roger wanted to spend five of those days with his mom and dad, Barbara and Winston. They were going to drive down, a ride that should be beautiful this time of year he had told her, and stay at his folks’ fabulous beach house in Nag’s Head. The other three days they would spend with Denise’s sister, Bernice, back in her tiny apartment in Newport News. Roger hated the place, but he hated Bernice more.

  Denise and Bernice are twins, and as much as he hated to admit it, Roger resented the fact they had such a strong bond. He claims when they all get together, they snub him, and make him feel small. He told her this many times. Three
days was his limit. Be thankful for that.

  Feeling small is a pet peeve of Roger’s—one of many. He hates being made to feel inept so much that he lashes out. He yells and curses, and when that doesn’t satisfy his appetite for retaliation, he hits. But he wouldn’t do any of this in front of other people. He would save his anger and punishment for later, when he could get his wife home. It always ended that way now, no matter where they went.

  A stay at Mom and Pop Sutton’s, a few days with Bernice, and then the nightmare ride home would begin. You see, the ride home is when Roger starts to release his pent-up anger and frustration. The ride wouldn’t be pleasant, and once they got home, the real terror would begin. The trip would end with a knock-down-drag-out battle that would leave a lot of aches and pains for someone—and it wouldn’t be Roger. No. He would walk away feeling elated, with visions of his crying wife lying on the floor, bruised and bloody. He loved that part of the vacation best. He felt rejuvenated, almost euphoric.

  As always, he would say she started it. It was her fault. She never should’ve accused him of being selfish, jealous and petty. She didn’t actually say that, but he took it that way when she told him that he knew Bernice was all the family she had left. Then he would accuse her of saying he wasn’t family. And the war would begin.

  Denise’s parents had been dead for many years. A tragic car crash had ended both their lives on a warm, sunny day in June back when she and her sister were just teenagers. After their deaths, Denise and Bernice were taken in by an aunt who cared only about the money she would receive for their support. When both girls reached the age of eighteen, they promptly up and moved out of their loveless home. The aunt passed away less than a year after the sisters left.

  “Spite makes you an ugly person,” Denise said, fed up with his prodding. She knew better than to say anything, but sometimes, enough is enough. She had some dignity left—a trait that always worked against her in their relationship. But she didn’t care. He’d hurt her feelings, and she had to say something. “Where’s your compassion?”