Lou and I walked fast. We had a lot to do. We approached the Information booth, saw two women sitting there. Although Maureen Eidorn was local, and I assumed that both of the women sitting there were local, I didn’t know either of them.
“Either of you ladies Maureen Eidorn?”
“That would be me. How can I help you?”
“I’m Lt. Dekker with the Hilldale Police Department. This is Sgt. Murdock. I need to know the location of two of your vendors, Johnny Delmont and Lois Weddington.”
“Neither of them has caused any problems, have they?”
“Not that I know of.” I laughed. “I just need to ask them a few questions.”
She looked at her chart and gave me their booth numbers. I turned to Lou, told him to go see both, tell them who he was and that I needed to see them before they left. Also, I wanted him to ask Joan Arrington to stick around until I returned to ask her a few more questions. I instructed Lou to deliver the messages and then return to the Information booth. After Lou left, I turned back to Maureen Eidorn.
“Mrs. Eidorn, I also have some questions for you about one of your vendors. Tom Kincaid.”
“Don’t tell me someone else is upset about Tom, or did one of the ones who complained to me about him call the police, too? Does this have anything to do with the fact that Tom didn’t show up today and didn’t have someone to work his tent? That’s not like him. He’s always one of the first vendors to open, one of the last to close up at night.”
“You can start by telling me who complained to you about Tom Kincaid.”
“First, it was one of the other vendors. Delbert Cross. Cross said Tom Kincaid knocked some things off of one of his tables while he, Kincaid, was setting up. I went and asked Tom about it. He denied it. One said one thing, the other said another. There was nothing I could do, and I never heard another thing about it. Later, Saturday, just before the event ended, Cross came back and told me that he received a call, had a death in the family and had to leave. I told him that under the circumstances that was okay, and I was sorry to hear about his loss.
“Then, between the time Cross complained Saturday morning and when he told me he was leaving Saturday night, two of those who attended the art and craft fair came to me and complained about Tom. One said Tom refused to return his money when he decided he wanted to buy something else instead. Said I should kick Tom Kincaid out and not let him come back next year. I listened to him grumble, told him I couldn’t make Tom return his money. He told me he was leaving and he wasn’t coming back. I noticed him later, so he didn’t leave, and when he saw me the look on his face was not the least bit cheerful.”
“Was this man Earl Clements?”
“So, you already know about Earl. Yes, it was Earl. I know him. He’s usually okay. At least when everything’s going his way.”
“I assume someone else complained.”
“Yes, Vernon Pitts came charging over here later, told me that Tom Kincaid had hit his kid. Vernon wanted me to call the police. Now, that was a different story. I hoped that Tom hadn’t hit the boy. I knew that Pitts’s kid could be as ornery as his dad, so I went over to check on it with an open mind. A couple of witnesses told me that a couple of boys, one of them Pitts’s kid, came charging in Tom’s tent, knocked some stuff off the table. They said Tom grabbed the boy by the collar and told him to get out and not come back. A few minutes later Vernon came charging up, picked Tom up out of his chair, and Tom hit Vernon and knocked him down. Vernon went charging in again, knocked Tom against the table, and Tom knocked him down again. Vernon has never been known to be very smart, so he was about to charge Tom again when Sid Applegate, another Hilldale resident, grabbed him, talked to him a minute, and convinced him to leave. I was told he left Tom’s booth, but not until after he threatened Tom, and that he stayed within scowling distance. Anyway, I told Tom to keep his hands off of the kid, that he could get in trouble for doing that. Tom told me to mind my own business. I’ve never had any trouble with Tom before, so I just walked off, hoped that everyone cooled off.”
“Any other complaints?”
“None that got back to me.”
“Do you know anything about the relationship between Tom Kincaid and Johnny Delmont?”
“I know they don’t like each other, want to be set up as far from each other as possible. I always accommodate them.”
“Any idea what caused this friction?”
“Johnny said that the idea for 3-D wooden puzzles was his idea first and Tom stole it before he, Johnny, could make any puzzles. I like both men, but Johnny is a procrastinator. Tom probably gave Johnny ample time to follow up with his idea, and when he didn’t do so within a reasonable period of time, Tom decided to make puzzles himself. We have plenty of items made by two or more people. If we think that two people can sell enough of the same item that both can have a good sales weekend, we let both of them in. But so far, as far as I know, Johnny Delmont has never made any puzzles. It doesn’t matter. He sells enough sculpture each year that he keeps coming back. There’s one thing I can say about the people in Hilldale and surrounding towns. They support this event, and not just by their attendance. If all people do is come and look, vendors won’t come back. They don’t come here to be seen. They come here to make a living. And we on the committee know that there are plenty of other good shows out there, so we are thankful that the people around here support this one.”
I thought about how much the four of us had supported it this year. I thought we had supported it enough to make up for all the years I’d missed.
“What kind of relationship did Kincaid have with Joan Arrington or Lois Weddington?”
“Relationship? Do you mean did they get along or were they fooling around?”
“Whatever you know.”
“Well, as far as I know they got along fine. Tom’s married, and I don’t think he was fooling around with either woman, although he and Joan did leave together Friday night after the set up.”
“You mean in the same vehicle?”
“I don’t think so. I meant they walked out together. Other than motor homes or trailers people can sleep in, no other vehicles were left in the parking lot overnight. I’m pretty sure that neither Tom’s or Joan’s vehicle was here overnight. I think both of them were staying just down the road.”
“Mrs. Eidorn, would you happen to know anything about a sale Tom Kincaid made late Saturday, say around closing time?”
“Normally I wouldn’t. But I know Tom Kincaid’s work when I see it, and I recognized Wayne Edmonds when he walked by as he was leaving, with one of Tom’s Statues of Liberty under his arm. I hollered at him, but he didn’t respond. He seemed to be preoccupied with something else. It was getting dark when I saw him, so I assume he is the guy you are asking about.”
“Is he local?”
“He is.”
“Do you happen to know where he lives or his phone number?”
“I don’t, but you should be able to find that out. You’re not saying the puzzle was stolen, are you?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. What about Earl Clements or Vernon Pitts?”
“I know Pitts and his son live way out in the country somewhere. I’m not sure where, but you should be able to find that out, too. I think Clements lives somewhere here in town, but I don’t know the addresses or phone numbers of either one. Just vendors. None of these people are anyone I’ve gotten together with socially.”
“When is the last time you saw Clements or Pitts?”
“I saw both of them last night. Both seemed to still be visibly upset. Around 6:00 I saw Vernon Pitts standing with his arms folded, staring at Tom’s tent. I went up to him and told him to simmer. He grunted and walked away. As far as I could tell, neither man was here today.”
“When is the last time you saw Tom Kincaid?”
“Let me think. I guess it was yesterday, when I went over and talked to him about the confrontation he had with the Pitts boy and his father.”
“Didn’t see him when he left yesterday or opened up this morning?”
“He never opened up this morning.”
“From what I hear, most of your vendors leave their wares when they leave each night. Do you have any overnight security?”
“We do, although we can’t get anyone until 9:00 at night. Most of the vendors are set up and gone long before that on Friday night, and the show ends at 7:00 on Saturday. I’ve arranged for the police to drive by every so often between 7:00 and 9:00. That’s the best I can do. And we’ve never had anyone say that they’ve had something stolen after they’ve left for the night.”
“Tell me about the security people. What do they do when they are here?”
“Well, there are two people, a man and his wife. Their job description is to hang out here in the Information booth unless they hear or see someone. Then they are to check and see who that person is and why he or she is here. Also, every thirty minutes they do a walk through to make sure everything looks as it should.”
“And they didn’t report any problems Friday or Saturday night?”
“None. What’s wrong, Lieutenant? Something has to be or you wouldn’t be asking so many questions.”
“Everyone will know soon enough, so I might as well tell you, but keep this to yourself for the time being. Tom Kincaid is dead. We think he has been murdered. His body is inside of his tent. He either died there sometime during the night last night or early this morning, or someone murdered him and took his body to his tent. Please don’t repeat any of this to anyone unless someone hears about it and comes and asks you. Then, you are free to tell them that Tom Kincaid is dead. Just don’t mention the names of any of the other people we discussed. I will be talking to each of them to see if any of them heard or saw anything. Also, I need the name and phone number of the husband-wife security team you hired. And if you could include your own phone number and address I’d appreciate it, just in case I think of anything else I need to ask you.”
I was glad the woman in front of me and the woman who accompanied her were seated when I shared news of Kincaid’s death. Either they were good actors, or they were surprised. The woman behind Maureen Eidorn seemed quite unnerved. I wondered if it registered that there was a dead body so near so many people, all day long. I stood there until Maureen Eidorn regained some measure of composure. Finally, she spoke.
“I can’t believe it. And I know some of these people were upset with Tom, but I can’t see any of them murdering him.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’ve seen a lot of murderers in my time and many of them didn’t look or act like murderers.
“The medical examiner is already here and working on the case. It may take us a while. We’ll find out who did it. And I don’t think anyone else is in danger.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lou returned just before I finished with Maureen Eidorn. He stood silently, as he always does when I’m questioning someone. I picked up the paper with the addresses and phone numbers Mrs. Eidorn gave me, thanked her for her time, and Lou and I turned to walk away. Once we were far enough away that she couldn’t hear what Lou had to say, he told me that he had delivered the messages. He said Mrs. Weddington seemed puzzled as to what we might want to talk to her about, Mrs. Arrington asked what else we could possibly have to ask her, and Johnny Delmont said he wasn’t going to wait all night, that he had a long drive ahead of him. Lou said he had told Delmont that he would wait or else.
I decided to give Delmont some extra time to fume and headed to question Lois Weddington first. Lou told me her tent was almost across from Kincaid’s tent, which meant she had a good vantage point of all that might have gone on there, although I figured that she wasn’t in her tent when the worst of it happened. With Frank just across the way and already at work, she might have more knowledge about what’s going on than I wanted her to have before I questioned her. As we walked by, I noticed that Frank was working with the tent flap down, but I was sure vendors were curious as to why there was crime scene tape in front of the tent, and everyone could see there were lights on inside the tent and shadows moving back and forth.
I wanted to get Mrs. Weddington’s take on the other people whose names I mentioned to Mrs. Eidorn, and to find out what kind of relationship she had had with Kincaid, since she was the one who told him about the Hilldale event. Was it possible that they were closer than anyone knew?
I walked up and introduced myself.
“Mrs. Weddington, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Lt. Dekker with the Hilldale Police Department.”
“What’s this all about, and what are those men doing in Tom’s tent?”
“That’s why I’ve come to talk to you. When was the last time you saw Tom Kincaid?”
“Saturday sometime. There were a lot of people here on Saturday, so it isn’t like I was sitting here all day watching Tom. I was kind of busy, and I think he was, too.”
“What kind of relationship did you have with him?”
“Relationship. I barely knew the man.”
“I thought you were the one who told him about this show.”
“I was, but even though we’ve done several shows together, it’s not like we’ve ever gotten together socially. I’ll see him to say ‘hi’ sometimes when we’re doing the same show, but we’re both usually busy getting our booth ready, helping customers, or packing up to go home, so we don’t have much time to talk.”
“So, you’ve never gone out with him?”
“Of course not. Tom’s married. Joan went to dinner with him Friday night, but even that’s nothing more than not having to eat alone, although Joan wishes Tom wasn’t married, because she likes him. But neither of them has so much as flirted with the other.”
“By Joan, I assume you mean Joan Arrington, the woman set up next to Tom?”
“That’s right.”
“Are they in the habit of eating together at shows?”
“No, I think this was the first time, but then I think this is the first time they’ve set up next to each other. I think that Friday night Tom asked her for a good place to eat around here, and she mentioned a place, and then she asked Tom if he’d like to go share a table with her. He said that sounded fine. Then, Saturday, when she was closing up, he asked her if she’d like to eat together again, but she said she was tired and was just going to grab a pizza and take it back to her room and eat it.”
“Did he offer to join her?”
“Of course not. Besides, about that time Tom got a late customer, and that guy was still over there when I left.”
“What can you tell me about that customer?”
“Nothing. He was just a customer.”
“Did they seem to be getting along?”
“Of course! What is this? Did something happen to Tom?”
“Mrs. Weddington, do you know a vendor named Johnny Delmont?”
“Yeah, he’s here, over on the next row.”
“Do you know anything about his relationship with Tom Kincaid?”
“They don’t get along. Everyone knows that.”
“Have they ever had any fights?”
“No, of course not! But Tom did get in a fight with some local guy on Saturday, got the best of him, too.”
“What happened?”
“Joan said the guy’s kid knocked some things off of one of Tom’s tables and Tom told the kid to get out and not to come back. Then, his dad comes charging down here and accusing Tom of beating up his kid. He attacked Tom twice and Tom put the guy on his back. I saw that guy several more times on Saturday. He was mad as a wet hen.”
“Anyone else Kincaid had any problems with?”
“Aw, there was this one guy I heard that wanted to return something he bought from Tom. That happens every now and then. Somebody buys something and either runs out of money or sees something else that is cheaper and comes back and wants to return something. Most vendors don’t take something back after somebody leaves with it. Anyway, this guy got so ma
d and held up that Statue of Liberty puzzle he bought from Tom and held it like he was going to brain Tom with it.”
“Did he swing it at Kincaid?”
“No, but he raised such a ruckus that everybody saw him do it. That guy with the kid saw it, too. He was standing near my tent, and I heard him say, “Go, ahead! Hit him with it!”
“So, Kincaid got into it with the guy and his kid before he had this confrontation with the customer. I thought it was the other way around.”
“No, the thing with the guy with the kid came first.”
“What was the deal with the guy who left early, the vendor next to Kincaid?”
“I don’t know. That guy seemed to be in a bad mood all day yesterday, and then he packed up last night and didn’t come back.”
“Speaking of last night, which of the two vendors next to Kincaid left first?”
“I don’t know. I know both of them were about to leave when I did, but I left before either of them, so I’m not sure.”
“What about Johnny Delmont? Any idea if he was still here when you left?”
“I have no idea. Johnny’s tent is on the row behind me, and I’m facing this way, so I didn’t pay any attention to anyone back there. And the parking lot is the other way, so I didn’t have to walk past his tent to get to my van.”
“And you didn’t see Delmont walk by your tent on the way to the parking lot?”
“No, but I saw him walk by once earlier. That’s how I knew he was here.”
“Did he go near Tom Kincaid’s tent?”
“Not that I recollect.”
“Where is it you live?”
“Cadiz.”
“How far is that from here?”
“Five hours. A little less than an hour closer than where Tom lives. Of course I doubt if Tom would’ve come through Cadiz to get here. See, if he was going from Murray to Cadiz he’d cut through The Land Between the Lakes, but coming here he’d have stuck to the interstate, then gone through Benton to get to Murray.”
6 Murder at the Art & Craft Fair Page 9