She nodded with a yawn.
“Sleep well.”
“You, too, Aunt Jillian. Goodnight.”
After Lexis closed the door to her room and turned off the light, I slipped into my robe and slippers, laid out an outfit for the next day, and put my tired little companion at the foot of my bed on his blue monogramed towel.
“Night, night, little one. I’ll be along shortly.”
After this evening’s ordeal, I needed a hot bubble bath. I filled the tub, poured in some bath gel, and stepped in. The hot water soothed my muscles as well as my spirit. I lifted up a prayer for all concerned in the death of Clay.
Totally relaxed, I dried off and spritzed myself with perfume. Sleeping alone, I had no one to smell nice for, but I had decided to smell nice for myself. I slipped into bed, snuggled down in the soft covers, and wondered why Lexis’s young man had to die.
~*~
The next morning, the aroma of coffee wafted past my nose. Teddy was nowhere to be seen. I pushed back the covers and slipped into my robe and slippers. While still half-asleep, I made my way to the kitchen.
Lexis greeted me. “Good morning, Aunt Jillian. The coffee’s ready.”
“You’re a saint, my dear. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
She poured me a mug and handed it to me. “I let Teddy out. He keeps staring at me, though.”
“He wants his breakfast.”
“Woof!” he barked.
“Patience, sweet doggie. Let me finish my coffee first. How about a treat?”
Teddy wagged his tail at the offer.
I nodded toward a treat jar on the counter. “I think three will do, Lexis.”
She reached in and pulled out a few Milk Bone© treats for tiny dogs.
I made eye contact with my furry companion. “Teddy, sit.”
He sat obediently, eyes on the treats.
I tossed him one, which he caught expertly in his mouth.
“Teddy, lie down.”
Teddy stretched his paws out and lay down as commanded.
I tossed him a second treat.
Before I could give him the third command, he went to his toy basket in the corner of the kitchen and drew out his new dodo bird with the yellow beak. This toy had been his Valentine’s Day treat.
“Oh, you want to play fetch, do you?”
He wagged his tail furiously!
“Funny how the world seems to go on,” Lexis mused.
“Here.” I threw the dodo bird across the kitchen. Teddy ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him to the toy, grabbed it by its yellow beak, and brought it to me.
“What a good dog!” I tossed him the final treat. “Now that I’ve finished my coffee, I’ll get your breakfast.”
“Mind if I make us some bacon and eggs?” Lexis walked to the fridge.
“Not at all.” I prepared ground turkey for Teddy along with some whole wheat bread and tiny chunks of mixed fruit. “Here you go.” I set the dish on the floor and filled his water bowl.
“While you make breakfast, Lexis, I’ll get dressed. I think Walter may come over before heading to the station.”
As predicted, by the time I’d dressed and we’d finished breakfast, Walter knocked on our door.
“How about some coffee?” I asked.
“I’d love a cup. Good morning, Lexis. I hope you’re feeling a little better.”
“A little. Last night seems like a bad dream. But it wasn’t, was it?”
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t,” Walter said.
I refilled my cup. “Why don’t we sit in the living room?”
Walter and Lexis found chairs, and Teddy and I sat on the sofa.
“The FBI is sending an agent later today to look into the case.” Walter’s tone was sad as he continued, “But we managed to get in contact with your boyfriend’s next of kin. Jillian, I don’t know if Lexis told you, but Clay’s father is Joseph Scott, who owns Scott Furniture.”
“Scott’s is a huge store” I said. “I’ve bought furniture there. Have you told Mr. Scott about his son’s death yet?”
Walter nodded. “Yeah. I reached him late last night. The old man’s not well, but he insisted that his night nurse drive him to the morgue to identify Clay.”
Lexis shivered and set her mug on the end table. “How difficult that must have been for him. I only met him once. Clay said he’d just found out about the cancer. That was about three months ago, shortly after we started seeing each other on a regular basis.”
Walter checked his watch. “I have to get to work in a few minutes, but I was wondering if you two would mind offering your condolences to the family. Mr. Scott was reticent when it came to answering questions about Clay. Perhaps he would be more open with the two of you.”
“I’m free. Lexis?”
“Sure. I wanted to go see him anyway, and I don’t work until Monday. I know where he lives. That’s where Clay took me to meet him.”
Walter stood. “Good. See if you can find out anything about their relationship, who Clay’s friends and acquaintances were, that type of thing. I believe Mrs. Scott isn’t in the picture.”
“No, they’re divorced,” Lexis said. “Clay was somewhat bitter about it because he and his brother were forced to grow up on their own.”
After I walked Walter to the door, I got Teddy’s red rhinestone leash and attached it to his collar. “Let’s get your tote and go see Mr. Scott”
“Woof! Woof!” Teddy barked, always ready to meet someone new. It was probably because he loved to sniff at absolutely everything.
~*~
Joseph Scott lived in a high-end neighborhood two towns over from Clover Hills. Lexis and I talked in the car about her job as a paralegal, her recently reconciled mom, and her Dad’s bad knee until we reached the Scott home, or I should say, mansion.
“Here we are,” Lexis said. “Grandiose, isn’t it?”
Indeed it was formidable. She pulled into the brick-lined, curved driveway that wound its way up to several garage doors at the front of the huge house and parked. Judging from the entrance, it would take us at least 10 minutes just to climb the two sets of stairs leading to the front door.
Before we got out of the car, my phone rang. The caller ID said Walter, so I put him on speaker.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Thought you would be interested to know the FBI agent they’re sending is an old friend of yours, Paul Youngblood.”
“Paul?” A man I hadn’t seen or heard from since Half Moon Bay, right after the Twin Towers fell. Paul’s fiancé had died after the first plane hit.
“Yeah. He asked about you. Wants you to assist with the case after the way you handled yourself in Half Moon Bay. Think you can meet us at 3 o’clock at the station? He wants to check out Clay’s boss at the depot.”
“I’m free. What about Lexis?” I shot her a glance.
“He says he’ll talk to her afterward. She should plan to stay close.”
Lexis nodded in agreement.
“Got to run, Jillian. See you at the station.” With a click, he ended the call.
I turned to Lexis. “Ready?”
“Yes. I’ll knock on the door since he knows me. Well, a little anyway.”
I gathered Teddy and put him inside his tote. “Now you must be a good boy. Mr. Scott isn’t well, and we don’t know if he likes dogs or not.”
“Aunt Jillian, why do you take Teddy everywhere with you? Some people find that eccentric.”
“I know they do. I left him alone until the incident in Half Moon Bay. After that, I promised I would never leave my dog with anyone I couldn’t trust. Also, it isn’t in my nature to impose on Cecilia. She has way too much to do taking care of her family.”
“I see. Makes sense. Let’s go see Mr. Scott, then, Teddy and all.”
~*~
Lexis rang the doorbell.
I half-expected a formal butler to open the door. Instead, we were greeted by a rather heavyset young man wearing a leather
vest and heavy jewelry. I noticed a large black dog behind him.
“May I help you?” The man shifted his weight to one side.
The dog gave off a low growl.
“Don’t mind Brutus. He’s harmless,” the man said.
Teddy bristled in his crate.
Lexis stepped forward. “I’m Lexis Lovejoy, Clay’s girlfriend. This is my aunt, Jillian Bradley. We’ve come to pay our condolences to Clay’s father.”
“Oh,” the man said. He turned to the dog. “Brutus, quiet!”
The dog quit growling.
“Come in. I’m Clay’s brother, Ben.” He eyed Teddy, whose bright eyes peered curiously from his tote. “You take your dog everywhere, right?” he asked me with a chortle.
I smiled weakly. “Yes, I do. I live alone so I don’t have much choice if I’m gone long.”
“This way.” Ben led us past a large foyer with a grand piano and up a flight of hardwood steps to the formal living area. “Have a seat. I’ll tell Dad you’re here. You want a drink or some coffee?”
Lexis and I shook our heads.
“I’ll be right back.” Ben lumbered up the winding staircase and disappeared while Brutus remained on guard.
As we waited, I noticed the house was sparsely furnished, especially considering that Mr. Scott owned a furniture store. There were no rugs on the floor, and not one family photo in view.
“Strange,” I said. “This house almost looks like it’s up for sale.”
“Maybe it is,” Lexis said. “Mr. Scott is seriously ill. Maybe he’s planning to move to a nursing facility.”
Ben returned a few moments later. “Dad says for you to come upstairs. We can use the media room.”
As Lexis and I followed Ben upstairs, with Brutus bringing up the rear, I continued to note the bareness of the rooms until we reached our meeting place. “Is the house going on the market?” I asked him, immediately regretting my question.
Ben turned and stared at me. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, it’s not being sold.”
“I apologize.” I must have turned three shades of red. “It’s my curious nature.”
He led us into a simply furnished room designed around a wall-hung TV. A shriveled older man with a balding head sat in a leather recliner.
Ben waved at us. “Dad, this is Lexis Lovejoy, Clay’s girlfriend, and her Aunt Jillian. I wasn’t introduced to the dog.”
Mr. Scott motioned for us to sit on the sofa across from him. “That will be all for now, Ben. You can go and close the door behind you. And take that infernal dog with you.”
Ben bowed slightly, before leaving the room with Brutus at his heels.
Mr. Scott’s eyes were red and swollen. He bowed his head a moment before looking at Lexis. “We’ve met, haven’t we? Your face is familiar.”
Lexis nodded. “Clay brought me to meet you. That was about three months ago. My aunt and I wanted to come as soon as we could to pay our condolences.”
He took a large white handkerchief out of his robe pocket and blew his nose. “Thank you. The detective gave me the news last night. Condolences to you, too, my dear.”
Lexis sniffed and started to weep.
I offered her a package of tissues from my purse. “My dog, Teddy, was the one who found your son. We had just met earlier at a party I was giving. I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Scott. Clay seemed to be a likeable young man.”
“I was proud of my son. He was a good boy. Never brought shame on the family like his…” Mr. Scott paused and seemed to change the direction of what he’d started to say. “Ah, like I did, when I divorced my wife. Never should have done it. Now look at me. I’m old and sick, and the only person I have to look after me is my bonehead son who has no clue about life.”
Lexis leaned forward. “The police believe Clay’s death wasn’t an accident. We need your help in telling us anything you can about who his friends, or enemies, were. That sort of thing.”
“Clay? Enemies? Rubbish. I don’t have any idea who his friends were. He left home and joined the Army right out of high school. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on anything. I offered him a starting position in the company, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Fiercely independent.”
“That must have been hard for you,” I said. “When did you last see Clay?”
He thought a moment. Then he reached for a glass of water on the table nearby. “He came to see me last week. But only because I’m sick.”
Teddy squirmed in his tote.
Mr. Scott looked at Teddy’s bright eyes staring at him. “Oh, let the little devil out. He probably hates being cooped up like that.”
I did as asked.
Teddy shook himself, perked up his ears, and marched over to Mr. Scott. Surprising everyone, he jumped up into his lap and licked his hand.
Mr. Scott smiled. “Friendly little fella, isn’t he?” He stroked Teddy, which set Teddy’s tail wagging. “You say he found Clay?”
I nodded. “I think they would have become good friends, had they been given a chance.”
He handed Teddy back to me. “I was given a chance to be a good father to my boys, but when I divorced my wife, that chance went away. Clay never forgave me for making him lose his mother.”
I shook my head. “I’m so sorry.”
A coughing fit caused Mr. Scott to grab onto his chair. “Get. Ben.”
Lexis left immediately.
When she returned with Ben, Mr. Scott had turned a sick shade of gray.
Ben took out his phone. “I’m calling for an ambulance. You ladies should probably leave.”
“Of course.” I put Teddy in his tote, pulled a business card from my purse, and handed it to Ben. “Please call me if I can help in any way.”
He took the card, stuck it in his vest pocket, and turned away to talk to the operator.
Both Lexis and I were grateful that Brutus was nowhere in sight when we let ourselves out.
~*~
Back inside the car, I turned to Lexie. “Do you know why Mr. Scott divorced his wife?”
“Only from what Clay told me. He took her side. There was another man involved, a friend of the family.”
“I think I know where this is going. She was unfaithful, and his dad ended the marriage.”
“You’re mostly correct. All Clay remembers is the absence of his dad most of the time. When he was home, he was cooped up in his office and paid little attention to their family.”
I shook my head. “How sad. A man works hard to provide for his family, and then the work becomes the reason for the family’s undoing.”
“Pretty much.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“I could eat something light,” she said.
“Let’s grab some lunch downtown. My treat.”
It was still a hot summer day, and I would have relished eating inside with air conditioning, but with Teddy along, a patio cooled by fans would have to do. The Rising Loafer, a combination bakery and deli, was perfect for our needs.
We found a table on the patio. The server brought our food, a Reuben sandwich for me and a chicken sandwich for Lexis.
“I didn’t know you liked Reuben sandwiches,” she said. “Normally I do too.”
“It’s my favorite. I never can resist when they’re on a menu.”
Lexis grew serious. “Aunt Jillian, do you think I’ll ever get married? Clay was everything I wanted in a husband. How will I ever find anyone who can take his place?”
I set my sandwich down and took a sip of my drink. “He must have been an exceptional young man to have met your standards.”
“He was.” She started to tear up.
“Lexis, you must be brave, for Clay’s sake. His death was untimely, and it wasn’t an accident. Wherever this investigation leads, I’ll need your help.”
“Would you like me to watch Teddy while you’re at the station? I’d be more than happy to. Plus he’ll be good company for me.”
“There you go. That would be
helpful, thank you.” My niece had a good heart. I silently prayed, knowing that God would provide the perfect husband for her one day.
~*~
The police station was at the end of Main Street and down a few blocks from the deli. I had Lexis drop me off and take the car home. A desk sergeant smiled when I came in the front door. “They’re waiting for you in Detective Montoya’s office. Go right in.” He pointed to the hall I’d been down several times.
Paul Youngblood stood and hugged me. “Good to see you, Jillian. It’s been years! I’m surprised not to see Teddy with you.”
“Good to see you too, Paul. Teddy is with my niece Lexis for the afternoon. Hello, Walter.”
“Have a seat. There’s been a development in the Clay Scott case that I want to tell you about. You and Paul can catch up with each other on the way over to the base.”
I was all ears. “You’ve found new evidence?”
Walter swiveled in his desk chair. “Even better. We have a suspect in custody. I made an appearance on the news and asked that anyone with more information about Clay’s death come forward. Shortly afterward, I got a call from a kitchen worker at the Clover Hills Hotel.”
I leaned in. “Interesting. What did he tell you?”
“Early yesterday, the kitchen worker hauled a broken, metal bar stool out to the Dumpster behind the hotel. Evidently the Dumpster was full, so he set it to one side, rather than risk it falling on someone. When the man took out the last trash sack of the evening, he noticed that the stool was still there. But the funny thing was the broken leg was missing.”
Paul and I exchanged glances.
“When we checked it out, we found the metal leg inside the Dumpster. It had been wiped clean of prints, but we found traces of blood in the metal tubing.”
I formed a picture in my mind. “And it was Clay’s blood you found?”
Walter nodded. “Yes. The worker also remembered seeing a vagrant passed out not far from the Dumpster. The worker gave us a good description of the man. Luckily the vagrant had remained in the vicinity, so we were able to pick him up.”
“That’s the suspect you have in custody?” I was impressed. “What was the connection?”
“Clay had no identification on him when we found his body. But when we brought in the vagrant, we found Clay’s wallet and cell phone on him.” Walter referred to a file on his desk. “His name is Mr. Robert Garcia.”
Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime: Includes Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crimes Page 68