by Susan Harper
Felicity agreed and followed Valerie inside. Definitely not your typical trailer home, Felicity thought as she entered the small structure. It looked lovely—more like something you’d see on an episode of Tiny Houses. “You have a lovely home,” Felicity said.
“Thanks,” Valerie said somewhat proudly. “Edgar and I bought this place when we first got married, before he started making real money. After the divorce, we sold our new home and split the difference, but we still had this property. I managed to snag it in the divorce. I always liked it. Plenty of room for just me.”
They sat at the woman’s little table by the window, and Felicity was eternally grateful when the woman poured them each a cup of coffee. “I’m sorry about your loss,” Felicity began, and the woman rolled her eyes.
“Not much of a loss,” she admitted. “I haven’t spoken to Edgar since the divorce.”
“Do you mind telling me about why you two split up?” Felicity asked.
Valerie shrugged. “Not like everyone hasn’t already heard the rumors. He hired a hooker and spent the night in jail over it. I was done. I don’t do cheaters.”
“I can’t say that I blame you there,” Felicity said. “Was this normal for your husband?”
“Apparently so,” Valerie said, annoyed. “I didn’t know about it until the night he was arrested. While his butt spent the night in jail over a prostitute, because believe me I was not going to go bail him out after hearing why he was there, I did some snooping. He had written all these checks to the same woman for months. Someone named Lilly.”
Felicity wrote her name in her notebook.
“He had been sending her money for months,” Valerie hissed. “He was cheating on me for a long time. I was done. I sent the papers to the house before he even got out of jail. I pulled all the money out of our account and packed up what I wanted. I didn’t even have to see the creep in court because he signed the papers easily since I wasn’t too picky about what I wanted in the split. Really, the biggest thing I asked for was this little double-wide we were trying to sell at the time anyway. We saw each other briefly when we both came to get our checks from the bank for the larger property we sold. He tried to talk to me and tell me I had it all wrong. That he wasn’t hiring a hooker and that the whole thing was a misunderstanding… Blah, blah, blah. But, you know how I know that was bogus?”
“How?” Felicity asked.
“Well, I bought into it for a minute there. We stood in the bank talking for a minute, and I was honestly thinking about giving him a second chance, and then in walks the hooker! She had given him a ride because his car wouldn’t start that morning. Then she even tried to tell me that Edgar didn’t cheat on me. I straight up asked her whether or not she had ever had sex with my husband, and she started fumbling over her words. I walked out, and that was the last I saw either of them.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that,” Felicity said. “You haven’t heard from either of them since the divorce?”
“Nope, not really,” Valerie said. “And that was about three years ago. Best decision I ever made. I do know that Lilly, the hooker, went missing shortly after that incident. I only know that because Edgar left a voicemail on my phone sobbing about how his new hooker girlfriend was missing and no one was taking him seriously. I called him back a couple days later and gave him some words of encouragement. I’m not totally heartless. I got that Edgar cared about the woman, but I wasn’t going to take him back just because his girlfriend probably got herself killed.”
“You think Lilly was killed?” Felicity asked.
“Edgar had seemed to think so,” Valerie explained. “Said she had been out with a client and never came back. She was not exactly in the world’s safest profession. It’s dangerous. And when a woman like that gets killed, it’s not like it makes headlines and puts pressure on the police. Other than Edgar, I don’t think anyone was looking for her. The missing persons case I’m sure got shoved in a desk somewhere after a few weeks. That was the last time we spoke—over the phone about how upset he was about not being able to find Lilly. I feel bad because he was pretty shaken up, but I wound up hanging up on him. I didn’t really want to be the sympathetic ear to that conversation for too long.”
“Thank you for the information, Valerie,” Felicity said. “Would you mind telling me where you were when Edgar was killed?”
Valerie nodded. “I was at my book club,” she said. “The ladies will vouch for me as I already told the police they would, but I understand why you would question me. I am the bitter ex-wife, right?”
“You don’t seem that bitter,” Felicity admitted.
“I’m really not,” she said. “Edgar and I had already been drifting apart when he was arrested. I think we both were ready to call it quits. Honestly, he gave me the excuse that I needed to finally go through with it. Divorce had been on my mind for years, but I just couldn’t give myself validation for leaving someone just because I was bored with him and him with me. I wanted to try to work things out, but cheating…well…that’s another story entirely. I knew when I got the call from jail that I was done. I didn’t want to try to work things out anymore.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me about Edgar that I should be aware of?” Felicity asked. “Maybe he has some enemies I could look into?”
“Not really sure if there is anyone,” Valerie said. “He was the kind of guy who kept to himself. Although, there is one thing…”
“What?” Felicity beckoned.
“Well, I do know he took out a pretty serious loan right around the time Lilly went missing,” Valerie said. “Like, big. I think it was, like, forty thousand dollars. Maybe more. I only know because the loan guy started contacting me about payments, but I gave him Edgar’s new information.” She shuddered. “He even came to my house once.”
“Oh, wow,” Felicity said. “That is pretty significant. Do you have the loan company’s name?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Valerie said. “If I did, I would let you know. It was a couple of years ago, but it was pretty hefty, and the guy really freaked me out when he stopped by. Called himself Big Zeus, but he calmed down when I explained to him that Edgar and I were divorced and I told him how his loan was probably for his hooker. Big Zeus told me Edgar had mentioned a girlfriend going missing, so the two of us figured he had taken out a loan for some fancy PI to look into the missing persons case since the police weren’t getting anywhere.”
“Big Zeus…” Felicity said, pulling out her notebook to start writing down everything that Valerie had mentioned. “So…you sure you don’t have any contact information on him?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Valerie said. “I can tell you he was a big guy, hence the name, and that he dressed sharply. He told me his office was in Atlanta, but that’s all I know.” Valerie checked her phone. “I should really be getting to the police station. I definitely don’t want to keep them waiting. Ex-wife to a dead man and all. I don’t want to label myself as a suspect. When it comes to Edgar, I prefer to keep all that crap in the past.”
“Understood,” Felicity said, rising to her feet. “Valerie, I truly appreciate you sitting down and speaking with me this morning. You have been very informative.”
“I try,” she said, snagging her purse from the counter.
The two of them walked out together, and Felicity thanked her again. Once she got in the car, Felicity decided to stop by her house before returning to the shop. She wanted to see if she could dig up anything on this Big Zeus fellow. It could be nothing, but it could also turn out to be a big lead. At this point, she was willing to hunt down any lead she got if it meant clearing Monte’s name. She shot Jefferson a quick text, letting him know she was going to be a bit longer than expected, and then she headed home. It was near lunchtime, so she heated up some leftover pizza she and Jefferson had ordered earlier in the week before sitting down at her computer to try to dig up anything of use.
Chapter 8
Jefferson was gett
ing close to pulling his hair out after nearly three hours of skimming through the internet trying to find useful information on Edgar. Apart from a small online article about the night of his arrest with a less than appealing mug shot, he had come up incredibly short.
Fix and Trixie were holding down the fort since Jefferson was busying himself with internet searches, and he had really only been needed once or twice to answer a client’s question that neither of them could. The two of them were really starting to learn the shop and the basic skillsets they needed to keep the place running. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud that he had hired two people who were working out so well.
The shop cleared out for a little while as window shoppers passed on, lunchtime nearing. “So, Mister S, did you find what you were looking for?” Fix asked, obnoxiously peering over the counter, propping up his elbows and leaning with his feet off the ground slightly.
Mr. S? Jefferson shook off the casual yet somewhat proper nickname he had just been given. “Not really,” Jefferson said.
“I think it’s sweet how you always try to help Felicity out so much,” Trixie said. “You are so crazy for her, aren’t you?”
Jefferson shot upright, and he saw Fix smirk. He attempted to shake it off, but he felt like he was fumbling and making a fool of himself in front of the two teenagers. “It’s not like that,” Jefferson said. “Our mutual friend is in trouble. Monte is my friend too. I’m one of his groomsmen, for crying out loud. I want to prove him innocent just as much as Felicity. This is for Monte, not Felicity.”
“Sure,” Fix said, still smirking. Jefferson swiped his arm across the counter, smacking Fix’s arm out from under his chin. The boy’s face fell against the counter. “Ow!”
Trixie giggled at her boyfriend’s expense and then looked to Jefferson. “Is there anything we can do to help?” she asked.
Jefferson thought for a moment. “You know, actually, there is.” He smiled. “You two kids think you can watch the shop for a bit while I run out?”
“Where are you going?” Fix asked, rubbing his chin.
“I think I might drive up to Newnan Hospital. Interview some people who worked with Edgar,” Jefferson said. “I shouldn’t be gone too long. It’s normally pretty slow around here around lunchtime. I’m sure you two could handle a couple of window shoppers while I’m gone.”
Trixie was all smiles. “We can totally handle that!”
“Great,” Jefferson said and then reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He handed Trixie the company card. “Order some pizza from the place down the street. They give us a discount and will walk it down here. Take turns eating and eat in the back, not out front where customers will see you. Make sure someone is on the floor at all times, got it?”
“Got it,” Fix said, grinning that his boss was going to be buying lunch that day.
“Trixie, you’re in charge,” Jefferson said. “I’ll be back soon. Call me if you need me.”
Jefferson headed out the door, realizing then that he would have to take the event van since Felicity had taken the car. They had carpooled that morning. He drove the van down Highway 16 toward the hospital, arriving in twenty minutes flat. He headed inside and got right to work asking around about Edgar.
He was pointed to the second floor where Edgar’s office was, and here Jefferson was hoping to dig up some potential leads. He spoke to a number of nurses, most of whom did not really have anything good or bad to say about the man. One woman accused him of being a flirt while another called him a gentleman. They had all heard the rumors about him hiring a hooker, and there were those who chose to believe it and others who didn’t. One doctor did tell Jefferson that he had confronted Edgar about the incident, as the man had been friends with Edgar’s ex-wife, and stated that Edgar had merely told him, “It’s not what the papers made it out to be,” but had left it at that.
Jefferson felt as though he had interviewed nearly everyone who worked on that floor without turning up anything of interest. Just as he was getting ready to throw in the towel and call this a wasted trip, he spotted one male nurse coming out of the bathroom he had yet to have a chance to speak to. “Excuse me, sir, do you have a minute?” Jefferson asked politely.
The older man turned. “You need something?”
“I am helping out a local PI,” Jefferson said, fibbing slightly. “On Edgar Uldrige’s case.”
The man frowned. “Oh,” he said. “Really bad what happened to Edgar. Is Monte still in jail?”
“Right now, yes,” Jefferson said.
“I don’t believe Monte had anything to do with it,” he said. “But, you never know, I guess.”
Jefferson liked this guy. “My name is Jefferson,” he began. “And yours?”
“Willie,” he said.
“Mind if I ask you a few questions, Willie?”
“Sure, but I only have, like, five minutes,” he said.
“No problem. I’ll be quick,” Jefferson began. “I was just wondering if you could tell me anything about Edgar. Seems like everyone up here didn’t know much about his personal life.”
“Same here, I’m afraid,” Willie said. “He used to be a little more personable, but all that stuff with his ex-wife and the rumors about the prostitute, well, he got kind of snobbish and standoffish. Can’t really blame the guy. It’s rough when personal life interferes with your professional one. No one likes everyone up at their job knowing their business.”
“So, you really can’t tell me much of anything?” Jefferson asked.
“I’m not sure what sort of information you’re looking for,” Willie said.
“At this point, anything,” Jefferson responded.
Willie thought for a moment. “Well, I guess I do know one thing. A few years ago, he bought a cabin up in Blueridge, but he never uses it. Never. But then, a few months ago, completely out of the blue, he asks me about my brother—my brother’s an electrician. He wanted to pay someone under the table to do some electrical work up there. So, basically, a few months ago, Edgar had someone wire electricity into a cabin that he never uses, and then he still never used it as far as I know.”
“That is weird,” Jefferson said. “You sure he never used it?”
“I asked him about it. Wanted to make sure my brother did a good job, that sort of thing,” Willie said. “But he told me he hadn’t had a chance to go up there, and then he told me to stop asking him about it. He told me he didn’t want anyone to know about the cabin. I figured he either just didn’t want people asking to borrow it or that he didn’t want to pay property taxes so maybe he was keeping it a secret. Not really sure what the whole deal was with the cabin.”
“You know when he got the cabin in the first place?” Jefferson asked.
“A few years ago, right after the supposed hooker incident,” he said. “But he never used it. He did tell me he got a killer deal on the cabin, like forty grand or something. Then it was just a couple of months ago that he had the electricity wired in.”
“Interesting,” Jefferson said. “Why have electricity put in a cabin you don’t use?”
“I have no idea,” Willie said and then checked his watch. “I think that’s all I got for you, man. Edgar kept to himself. People either liked him or hated him; he was just that kind of guy.”
“Can I get your information in case anything comes up I need to ask about? You seem to be the only one here even slightly informed about Edgar’s personal life,” Jefferson requested.
“Sure, hold on,” Willie said and pulled out his phone. They exchanged numbers, and Jefferson thanked him as the man hurried down the hall to get back to work.
Jefferson got in the elevator and headed back down to the ground level. He walked slowly back to the event van, feeling somewhat disappointed in his adventure to the hospital. Once he sat down in the van, he attempted to piece together what little information he knew. Edgar had bought a cabin not long after his divorce and the beating up the hooker incident. But, he never went to the cab
in. Then, a few months ago, he had electricity wired into said cabin. Not a whole lot to go on.
Before heading back to Senoia, Jefferson decided to call Dawn. She answered on the third ring, and he could tell she had been having a rough day. “Hey,” she said.
“How you holding up?” Jefferson asked.
“I’ve been better,” she said. “Been in a lawyer’s office all day.”
“That sounds fun,” Jefferson teased slightly, but he knew she probably wasn’t in the mood.
“What do you need?” she asked sharply.
“Just checking on you,” Jefferson said. “Wanted to reassure you that Felicity, Jack, and I are going to handle this.”
“You guys have any leads?” Dawn asked hopefully.
“I personally don’t, but we all did the divide and conquer thing today, so I’m hoping Felicity and Jack and Patrick came up with more than I did,” Jefferson said. “I wanted to ask you about Edgar. What was it like working with him?”
“I mean, he kind of kept to himself. Monte didn’t like him, mostly because of the hooker thing. Kind of changes your opinion about a person, but since the charges got dropped, I tended to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Dawn explained. “I would like to assume it was a misunderstanding of some sort, but I guess you never know.”
“Was he decent to work with?” Jefferson asked.
“If you were on his good side, yeah,” Dawn said. “He and I got along all right. It was a strictly professional relationship, though. He wasn’t the kind of supervisor you joked around with. All business, and if you were okay with that, then he was pleasant to work for.”
“Did he ever mention anything about a cabin up in Blueridge to you?” Jefferson asked.
“No, he never really talked about what he did outside of work,” Dawn said. “Like I said, he was all business all the time. Never would get so much as a how was your weekend from the guy. He came to the hospital to work, and that was the end of it.”