by Linda Wiken
“Okay. That leaves the campaign manager. Or the sister-in-law. Or both. But I don’t think we know enough yet. It’s a lot of supposition.”
“I’m glad you admit that, but that doesn’t give you carte blanche to go back and do some more snooping. Word will get back to Kane, and if he is involved, it could get dangerous.”
“Maybe that’s what we need in order to draw him out.”
Devine leaned forward, his voice strong but low. “Haven’t you had enough of being in danger? If you’ll recall, it was just some months ago that someone tried to run you down when you got too close to the truth. And that was before being tied up and threatened.”
J.J. shuddered. “I know. I try not to think about it. But you’re involved here. You’ll take care of me.”
He grinned. “I’m trying. Believe me. It would be a hell of a lot easier if you just stayed removed from danger to start with.”
“So far, so good.”
“Or so you think. The killer might already have you in his or her sights. You’ve been asking enough questions.”
“Not if it’s the cop. He knows nothing about me. I think.” She crossed her fingers.
“And I think maybe you’ve done enough. It’s obvious the police are closing in on the killer.”
“How is that obvious? Have you asked them?”
He shook his head, and she could tell he was getting a bit impatient with her. “I’ve been there, remember? I’m sure they’ve checked all the bases that we have and even more. They can dig deeper. Just find out what happened to Connor Mac. If he’s not in jail, then I’d say they have their sights on the killer. And it’s just a matter of time until they make their move.”
CHAPTER 33
J.J. wished she could believe Devine. She’d tried to convince herself as she got ready for bed the night before and was still doing so in the morning when she got ready for work. She’d even had a heart-to-heart with Indie over breakfast, hoping that saying it out loud would make it so. But to no avail.
Now, sitting at her computer in the office, she tried to keep her mind on her work and the fiftieth wedding anniversary coming up. Time to double-check that all the arrangements would happen as planned. But she knew the thought was hovering there, ready to take over at any moment. So, she reasoned, the best thing to do was to confront it head-on and either make her peace with it or do something about it. That last thought brought an image of an upset Devine to mind, and she grabbed the phone immediately when it rang.
She was relieved to hear Connor’s voice. “How did it go? Where are you?”
“I’m not in jail, if that’s what you mean. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t return any of your calls yesterday. I was feeling pretty bummed out after spending a good chunk of the day at the police station.”
“What happened?”
“Well, Detective Hastings is still really upset that I left town and has warned me not to do that again, but he admitted they were looking in another direction for the killer.”
“Did they mention any names?”
“No, and I didn’t ask. Right now, I just want to try to put this all out of my mind. I’m not going back to work until next week, and I’m going to spend the next few days trying to get my life back to normal. I just wanted to thank you for believing in me, J.J.”
“Of course I believe in you. We’re friends and that’s what friends do.”
“Thanks.”
She was sort of surprised that he hung up without a formal good-bye, but she had what she needed from him. She knew he was all right and he was not in jail. She also knew it would probably take quite some time for Connor to be back to his old self, if ever. He had the Culinary Capers members to help, if he needed any, but other than that, they’d just be there for him.
She was a bit annoyed that he hadn’t pressed Hastings for any details, though. Maybe that’s the action she needed to be taking. She quickly finished off the e-mail, printed a copy for their files, saved a copy, and hit Send.
She was just about to leave the office when her phone rang again. This time is was her mom.
“Honey, I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask if you’re able to come home not this weekend but the following one?”
“Why, Mom? What’s up?” You’re not making an announcement, are you? About a separation? “Sure, I can do that. Any special reason?”
“I’ll save that for when the family is together. So, come up either Friday night or Saturday morning, whichever works best for you. Love you.”
“Yes, love you, too.” She hung up and flopped back into her chair.
Skye had been watching her. “What’s up?”
“I have no idea and I don’t want to speculate. Either it’s my worst nightmare and the folks are splitting, or Mom’s got some new ingenious plan, or possibly a new guy for me.”
Skye chortled. “She’ll never give up, you know. A mom is always a mom. It’s her task—no, her duty—to interfere with your love life. Maybe you should ask Ty Devine to go with you.”
“What?” J.J. shrieked.
“It would certainly throw her off that particular track.”
“You forget, she’s met Devine, and if I even mention his name, she’ll get the wrong impression. Asking him to go with me would be tantamount to declaring an engagement.” She shuddered. “It would be safer to take Evan. Better yet, no one at all. Besides, I have no idea what’s on her mind. I’ll call Rory tonight. As firstborn, he usually gets let in on all the happenings. Anyway, got to go. See you after lunch.”
She thought about her mother’s call all the way to the police station, wondering what it could mean. When she pulled into a parking spot, she told herself that was it, no more speculating. About anything.
Detective Hastings met her in the front reception area. “I’ll bet this has something to do with Connor Mac’s reappearance,” he said by way of greeting.
“Nice to see you also, Detective. And, it does. I’d like to ask you just a couple of things. Is that okay?”
“Fire away. I may not answer them, though.”
He didn’t invite her back to his office, but he hadn’t shoved her out the front door, either. Here goes. “I take it Connor is no longer your prime suspect.”
“That’s not a question, it’s a statement, but it is true.”
“Can I ask why?”
He gave her a speculative look and then eventually answered. “He was in conversation with Megan Spicer, the board chair, at the time of the murder.”
He was? Nobody told me. “How can you be so sure?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Do you now think he should be the prime suspect?”
“Oh no. I mean, how did you establish that?”
“We have a precise time of death from the autopsy, and Ms. Spicer says at that time they were talking.”
“So, that gives her an alibi also.” Should she have moved Megan higher on the suspect list? Apparently not.
“And you think she needs one? Maybe is manufacturing one for her own benefit?”
J.J. shrugged. “It happens, I’ll bet. Not that I’m accusing her of murder.”
“Good, because we aren’t, either. There was a witness to this talk.”
“But you do know about their former connection?”
“Indeed.” He watched her a little more closely. “Maybe you should join me in my office. I may have been remiss in keeping track of your activities these last weeks.”
He punched in the code and held the door for her when it opened. She wondered if it had been such a wise decision to come down after all. Instead of his office, he steered her into a small cafeteria and offered her a coffee. “It’s actually quite good coffee.”
“All right. Black, please.”
There were two women in civilian dress sitting at one end of the small room. Hastings motioned her to the opposite end. When they’d taken their first sips, he demanded, “All right now, tell me who you’ve been talking to about this case.”
Where
to start? “I guess, mainly the people at the TV station, Hennie Ferguson, Lonny Chan, and Kathi Jones. For a while I thought the vandal might have done it, but Ty Devine seems to have trounced that theory. Then there’s the sister-in-law, who was overheard in argument with Miranda. And her brother’s campaign manager, Fletcher Kane. And I guess you know about the cop?”
Hastings lips flatlined and he nodded.
“So, are any of the above your chief suspect these days?”
Hastings let out a noise that could have been anything from an expletive to a puff of air. “That’s not something I’m about to share with you. But I will give you some advice. Once again you’re playing a dangerous game here. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, so will you just go back to your office and stay out of my investigation? I assure you, we have covered all bases and will no doubt make an arrest soon.”
She leaned forward. “Soon, like in the next few days?”
He rolled his eyes. Then stood. “Thank you for stopping by, Ms. Tanner. Always a pleasure to see you.”
• • •
J.J. didn’t want to head back to the office just yet. She wanted one more shot at Yolande, and if that didn’t work out, then Fletcher Kane. She knew that Devine would be angry, but that was his problem.
She tried to formulate some questions and her approach as she drove out to the Myerses’ south-end address. She was pleased to see Yolande’s car parked in the driveway. She just hoped that she was in a good mood.
She didn’t really look to be when she opened the door. In fact, the look on Yolande’s face turned to a less welcoming one at the sight of J.J. “What do you want?”
Uh-oh. Not a good start. “I’m sorry to bother you again, but this is really important. It won’t take long, and, depending on how honest you are with me, may be the last time I come by.”
Yolande gazed at her, a speculative look on her face, then opened the door and stepped back, inviting J.J. to enter.
“Thank you. It really won’t take long.”
“We’ll just pop in here, in that case.” She indicated the living room to the left, off the hall.
J.J. chose to sit in a wing chair facing the sofa. She hoped Yolande would take the hint and sit across from her, at a slightly lower level. She did.
“Now, what do you want?”
“I just need to clarify a couple of things. How well do you know Fletcher Kane?”
Yolande looked surprised. “I know him very well. As my husband’s campaign manager, he drops by all the time. He stays for dinner sometimes. And I see him at most events. Why? What has he got to do with Miranda?”
“That’s what I’m wondering. Apparently, they had an argument at the campaign office.”
She shrugged. “So, that’s not strange. And she was helping whenever she could. I suppose they clashed over one thing or the other. Miranda had a volatile personality. In fact, they both like to be in charge. That’s probably all it was.”
“Your name came up in it. In fact, the person who overheard it thought the argument was totally about you.” J.J. held her breath, waiting for a reaction.
Yolande looked flustered. “Are you sure? You’re not just saying that, are you?”
“No. Why would I do that?”
“To get me to confide in you.”
J.J. shook her head. “I don’t operate that way. Look, all I’m trying to do is find out who killed Miranda, and to do that, I need to eliminate what pops up as being suspicious. I’m sure the police have already asked you the same questions.”
She noticed Yolande blanch at the mention of law enforcement. Was she trying to hide something illegal?
“I know you wouldn’t be involved in anything illegal, but you have to understand how this looks to an outsider. Something’s going on and it involves you. Both Miranda and Fletcher Kane were concerned or mad or both, and that means it has to do with your husband’s campaign.”
J.J. paused for effect. Just ask. “Are you having an affair?”
Yolande looked like she’d pass out.
“I’m sorry,” J.J. said, rushing over to her. “I really didn’t mean to upset you.” She touched her arm, hoping that some connection might open a direct line to the truth.
The gush of tears seemed to appear out of nowhere. Yolande fumbled in her pocket and brought out a tissue, dabbing at her eyes and eventually blowing her nose. When she’d regained some composure, she said, “No, of course not. How could you think something like that?”
After a fresh bout of tears, she sniffled. “Okay, yes. And you’re right, that’s what the arguments were about. They both wanted me to break it off and not tell Gary. But I couldn’t.” Her eyes were pleading as she turned slightly to face J.J.
“We’re in love, deeply in love. This isn’t just a tawdry affair. My marriage hasn’t been working for a long time. We both know that, but we also know that Gary’s chances at winning are better if the public thinks we’re a happy couple. Gary doesn’t know about my affair, but he does know my feelings about the marriage. And I have told him I’ll work hard at giving the world a happy couple image for him. For now.”
“So, how did Miranda and Fletcher find out?”
“Fletcher has been suspicious for a while. He totally wants me in the picture all the time as the loving housewife, but I’ve chosen to not always oblige him. If Fletcher asks, I’m in, but I don’t want to be paraded around as the loving spouse all the time. So he hired a private detective to follow me, and now he knows. I can only guess that he told Miranda, hoping she’d talk me into changing my mind.”
Private detective? Devine? No, he would have said something, wouldn’t he?
“What happened after those arguments?”
“I did some soul searching and decided not to see my lover until after the election. He does understand—that’s the kind of guy he is.”
“Did Miranda and Fletcher know this?” J.J.’s mind was racing. Where was this leading?
“No. I didn’t get a chance to tell Miranda. She was killed the next day. I did tell Fletcher, and he said, as tragic as Miranda’s death was, it may have worked out for the best for my husband.”
“Really? How so?”
“He thought that Miranda might use the story as a way to break into investigative journalism. That’s what she always wanted to do. This TV gig was to help her build a reputation and name, but she was always on the lookout for that big story.”
“Do you think she would have done that?”
“No. I know she loved her brother deeply. She would not do anything to jeopardize his future. Fletcher had it all wrong, but then again, that’s what he might have done in her position. He’s a shark, and while that works as a campaign manager, I wouldn’t want to be his friend.”
“Do you think he might resort to murdering Miranda if he truly believed she’d write the story?”
Yolande gave it a few moments of thought. “No. He’s determined and he’s loyal, but I also think he’s a moral person who just massages that morality when it comes to politics. Murder is a totally different thing.”
J.J. sat thinking for a few moments. “If so, none of this makes any sense, or maybe it does and it doesn’t tie into the murder.” She stood, thanking Yolande for being so candid.
Yolande remained seated but looked her in the eye. “I trust you won’t spread this around?”
“No, I won’t,” J.J. said, and meant it. “I can see myself out.”
She thought about it all the way to the office. She truly believed Yolande didn’t do it. But what about Fletcher? Despite Yolande’s protestations, was he willing to go for the win at any cost?
CHAPTER 34
She sat at her desk typing up her notes for next Monday’s meeting with the teachers association. But the question kept nagging at her. Would Fletcher kill Miranda if he truly believed she was the type of person to torch her brother’s career in favor of her own? J.J. didn’t have an answer for that, but what she did have was an invitation t
o help out tonight at the campaign office. Dawn had sent her an e-mail asking for help stuffing more envelopes. Did they ever come to the end of those mailings envelopes? she wondered.
“You’re smiling. What are you reading?” asked Skye from her desk.
“I’m going to spend my evening stuffing envelopes. Can you think of anything more exciting for a single gal to be doing?”
Skye laughed. “Actually, yes. Most anything else. Is this part of the Gary Myers campaign?”
“Uh-huh. I’ve just received a request from Dawn, the volunteer I told you about, to help tonight. So, I’m going. It might be a good chance to get some more intel, too.”
“Hmm, intel. Now you’re really sounding like you’re in supersleuth mode. Why don’t you ask that hunky private eye to help stuff?”
“Not his thing, I’m certain.”
“But he might come in handy if you encounter hostiles when doing your sleuthing.”
“Hostiles? Good word, but hardly applicable. No, I’ll just be trying to get a better picture of Fletcher Kane, the campaign manager. He’s pretty high up on my suspect list at the moment, but I’m very sure he won’t be there tonight. Pretty tame stuff, really. What are your plans?”
“Well, we, Nick and I, are going shopping at the Pottery Barn in the Town Center.” Skye stood and stretched. “I’m hoping we’ll leave with some homey accent pieces for the condo. He hasn’t yet gotten over his man cave phase.”
“Okay. At least one of us will have an exciting evening.”
“How is Connor doing?”
“He’s lying low these days. He’s planning to go back to work next week, but I think he’s in a funk. I hope working will help. I just wish I could think of something else to do for him.”
“I don’t think you can do that. He’s going to have to come to terms with all that’s happened and find his own way back. But I’m sure your support helps.”
“Thanks.”
Skye’s phone rang and J.J. was left to ponder Connor and then her to-do list for the day. By quitting time, she had tackled most things and placed a check mark beside them. She decided to grab a quick bite at Rocco G’s before heading to her evening chores.