There was something bothering me but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Okay, we came up to talk to the first victim of Mr. Lessiter. What information had we hope to get really? Lessiter was dead. Maybe she could give us some other names, like Trudy had done.
Now that Lessiter was dead, who could Tricia Hunter be a threat to? Of course, I was assuming that the body out of the river was her. The timing was just too coincidental.
We had been grabbing at straws to even come up here. Hoping she had maybe seen someone with Lessiter, like maybe one of the judges. There were only a handful of us who knew about this trip.
Now I knew what was bothering me. Why had Bill wanted to come up with me? Had he called someone before we were on our way? But this was crazy! I was suspecting Bill. Bill was the man who had been so kind to me, even as he was arresting me when I was sixteen. That didn’t mean anything. He could have been kind to see that I was eventually placed with the Lessiters.
I was still going around in circles in my head, thinking, when Bill came back to the suite. One look at his face and all my doubts disappeared. He was crying.
“Someone had beaten her severely, before dumping her in the river to drown. When I told them why we were here and that I suspected who she was, they brought down her neighbor who identified her. I’m telling you right now, Judith, we’ve got to catch those son-of-a-bitches. I can’t believe they could reach up this far.”
I put my arms around him to comfort him but before I knew what was happening, we were kissing. I had always been attracted to him and now we were finally going to make love.
As he picked me up and carried me to the king-sized bed in my bedroom, I couldn’t help but think, Rosa’s going to be pissed.
We made love all through the night. It seemed like every time I dozed off, he was reaching for me. I didn’t know it was possible for a man to make love so many times so close together.
Just before dawn I started giggling when he was entering me. “What’s so funny?” He said.
“I was thinking when I get back to Houston, where all my books are, I’m going to research this.”
“Research what?”
“How it’s possible for a man to come so many times in one night.”
He chuckled, “You should have seen me when I was younger. Don’t forget, I’m almost 40 now.”
“So, when you arrested me, what, you were like a fountain?”
“I’ve always been highly sexual. That night I picked you up for prostitution? It took everything in me not to let you take me to bed. I almost forgot what I was there for. But you were too young.”
He rolled over so that I was on top. “I’ll tell you what, Judith; you were well worth the wait.”
When it was over I whispered, “I could get addicted to you Bill Wheeler.” I bit him on the ear.
“Take it easy or we’ll be here all day,” he said as he rolled off the bed and headed for the shower off his bedroom. “I would invite you in, but we would never get out of here if I did.”
When I came out of the shower, wearing the hotel terry bathrobe and a white towel on my head, I heard Bill ordering room service.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said when he hung up. “I could eat you up, but we’d better have food instead. I ordered eggs Benedict. I hope that’s all right.”
“It’s perfect,” I said as I sat down next to him on the love seat.
He took my hand, “Do you see any reason for us to stay here?” He asked. “I vote for going home.”
“Me too. I’ll call the airlines and change our flight.”
CHAPTER 39
Once we were airborne I asked Bill, “Who do you think warned someone to take care of Tricia before we got there? There are only a few people who knew we were going to talk to her.”
He again took my hand and I liked how he was a touchy-feely person.
“I’ve been asking myself the same thing,” he said, “but for the life of me, I can’t come up with a name. I would trust my partner with my life. The judge, I’ve known her for years and I trust her almost as much. You know John, Rosa and Mark better than I do, and Tracy risked her life and is with the FBI.”
“That leaves only one person, Trudy.”
As we were thinking this over, the stewardess brought our drinks and a snack. We didn’t discuss the case anymore during the trip. We were deep into our own thoughts when we landed. We hadn’t let anyone know we were coming back so soon, and decided to play hooky and go to his apartment for one last lovemaking session. It was an escape in a way. We were at a dead end and didn’t want to think about the case at all.
I think part of the reason we needed to keep making love was to feel alive after the terrible death of Tricia. I had seen this happen sometimes after the death of a loved one. The plan had been to meet up with everyone at the usual time that night at John and Rosa’s house. We went there from Bill’s apartment.
Trudy was sitting on the porch in the swing when we drove up.
“How did it go?” She asked.
“It didn’t,” Bill said. “Someone already beat us there.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s dead.”
Trudy looked shocked. “I wish we knew what was going on. Why would someone kill her?”
Bill gave Trudy a threatening look. “How did you know she was murdered?”
“I…I just assumed.”
I gave her a pat on the shoulder as we walked past her on our way to see John. We told him we needed to see him alone and the three of us walked to the park.
John looked at his watch. “We don’t have much time before the judge gets here. What did you find out?”
“She’s dead…” I began but Bill interrupted me.
“We had an appointment to meet with her at 3:00 p.m. but before we had a chance, she was murdered. She was beaten badly and then dumped in the river. She drowned.”
“Damn. She must have known more than we figured,” John said. “Something stinks. One of us is dirty.”
“Has Trudy had a chance to contact anyone?” I said. “Has she been out of your sight at any time?”
“You suspect Trudy? I don’t believe it. She would never do something like this. Don’t you two remember? She’s a victim. Besides, the only time she was by herself was when I was in the delivery room with Rosa. No, the timing would be off. We didn’t even know about Tricia Hunter at the time.”
Bill and I looked at each other. He was right. She would have known ahead of time about Tricia. “But we’ve already ruled everyone else out,” I said.
John chuckled, “You’re no Sherlock Holmes, Judith. We haven’t ruled anyone out yet. But we do know that one of us is guilty.”
CHAPTER 40
“I have some important news,” the judge began as soon as we were settled in with our food.
Delilah had volunteered to come over and cook again.
“John got a call from FBI agent George Patterson from St. Augustine. He had been thought to have died in the beach house fire along with agent Tracy Carr. He apparently survived.”
She looked at Mark, “Sorry Mark, I wish Tracy had survived too. Mr. Patterson said they had arrested a female judge down there. Her name is Veronica King. They want Delilah to go down and see if she recognizes her voice.”
“Recognizes her voice from where?” asked Bill. As soon as he asked that I knew something didn’t fit but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Delilah heard a female judge, Calvin Lessiter, and Mackey talking about burying a young girl’s body in the bayou. They didn’t realize that she was, at the time, living in a house on the other side of a thick layer of river reeds.
“That’s the way it is down there in that area. Some of these houses are so hidden you need a topographical map to find them. She’s flying down tonight and Dave Boudreau is going with her.”
“I think I should go too,” Bill said.
The judge studied him a few minutes and he looked away. “I think you need
to stay here, Bill. I appreciate it, but you can’t go on neglecting your responsibilities.”
“Yeah, partner, I need you here,” Sandy said, poking him in the ribs.
“I’d go but I’m still on maternity leave,” John said. “And besides, Dave can handle this just fine.”
I spoke up, “I want to go with Dave.”
Bill pulled me against him, “Oh no you don’t. I need you here.” I could feel everyone looking at me. I didn’t realize Rosa had come into the room and she looked really angry.
“Actually, I don’t think it would be such a bad idea for Judith to go with them,” The judge said. I was surprised she had said that. Bill didn’t say any more.
The rest of the meeting went smoothly. John reported he hadn’t located anymore of the victims. “Of course, some of these women have probably married and changed their names,” he said.
“Or they’re buried out there on the bayou,” the judge said and she was again looking at Bill.
I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Did she suspect Bill? I didn’t want Bill to be guilty but something was gnawing at the back of my mind.
Tracy, still dressed like an old lady, came in with Delilah to serve the coffee and that’s when what had been bothering me clicked. I was thinking back to when Bill and I were going down the list of the people we could trust and he had said he thought we could trust Tracy.
He wasn’t supposed to know Tracy was alive. The judge didn’t even know and Tracy had waited until everyone had left before she took off her wig and contacts the night before.
I looked over at Bill. He didn’t look worried at all. He looked at me and winked and my heart melted. He couldn’t be involved in any of this horrible stuff. He just couldn’t be!
After everyone left, I asked John “When was the last time you scanned the house for bugs?”
He looked concerned and admitted it had been awhile and did so immediately. There was a bug in the kitchen. This was where we had been when Delilah had told Tracy she wasn’t who she appeared and Tracy had taken off her wig and contacts and introduced herself.
I told John about Bill including Tracy when we were talking about who we could trust.
“Actually, Judith,” he said, “I’ve suspected Bill for some time. I discussed it with Rosa and that’s why she has been so upset with you. She’s worried about you.
“Think about it. He used to be in the vice department. He would have had plenty of opportunity to catch young girls running drugs, like you were doing, or hooking.”
“But, John, he would have plenty of money if he was involved and believe me he lives in a small cheap apartment.”
“You’ve been to his apartment? Please don’t tell me you slept with him.”
I didn’t say anything and he groaned, “Why didn’t you stay with Ben, Judith? I don’t understand. He was nice and safe. I didn’t worry about you when you were with Ben.”
“Maybe that was the problem. Ben was safe,” I mumbled. I knew I needed to do some honest soul searching. Did I have the same problem as Julia? Did only dangerous men turn me on?
I was glad I was going to St. Augustine with Dave and Delilah. I needed to put some distance between Bill and me. I was beginning to wonder if he had gotten close to distract me.
CHAPTER 41
Delilah was nervous. This was her first flight. She held onto my hand the whole time. At one point she had her eyes closed and I talked her into looking at the scenery. But when we landed in Jacksonville, it was raining and the landing was rough. At one point she grabbed my hand and stifled a scream.
Tracy had arranged for George Patterson to pick us up. He was waiting for us at the curb, when we walked out of the airport with our luggage.
When we got in his car, Tracy was in the backseat. “I flew over in the FBI helicopter. I kissed Rosa, John, and the baby goodbye in case anyone was looking and made for the airport, just a little old lady going back home.”
She laughed when she saw the look on our faces. “You didn’t really think I would miss out on this, did you?”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said, as I hugged her. “And you’re right. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
We checked into the Omni Hotel in Jacksonville. George had booked the penthouse. It had four bedrooms and four and a half baths. George, Tracy, and Dave had their own room and I would room with Delilah.
It had its own kitchen, living room and dining room, like a big apartment. It even had a small conference room, where we agreed to meet in twenty minutes.
George ordered snacks and wine from room service. After we were settled in, he said, “They’re going to bring the judge in here. She’s been in an FBI safe house. She’s been very cooperative. Of course she doesn’t know what we will have on her, if Delilah can recognize her voice.”
“What does she think you do have on her?” I asked.
“She thinks we have her on signing some papers about bogus adoptions, and assignments of teenage girls and boys. She claims she didn’t know what would happen to them.”
It was at this point that a huge woman wearing a loose fitting dress walked in. I think she was the ugliest woman I had ever seen in my life. She was accompanied by two men in dark suits, but she wasn’t handcuffed, like I expected her to be.
Her hair was thick salt and pepper and wiry. It reminded me of a steel wool. It was cut in a short butch cut.
She looked angry. I thought to myself, she’s used to having people obey her and being afraid of her. She’s used to having the upper hand.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said as she looked around the room. “Who are all these people?”
George started with the introductions, “Judge Veronica King, this is…”
Just then Delilah walked in with a tray of finger sandwiches.
“That’s her,” she said. “I recognize the voice.”
The judge looked Delilah up and down, as if she expected her to be intimidated, but Delilah stood tall.
“Who is this person and what does she mean, she recognizes the voice. I agreed to come here to tell what I know. I’m willing to confess to what little part I had in it in exchange for no jail time. I know I’ll lose my license and never be able to practice law again. I can live with that, since it’s not that long before I retire anyway.”
She turned to George, “Do you have my statement I dictated to you? If so I’ll sign it and be on my way. I’m looking forward to retiring and spending time with my grandchildren.”
George pulled some pages out of his briefcase.
“You’re implicating Calvin Lessiter, Mackey Broleen, Judge Renfroe, and Judge Chaney. Then you name several other older gentlemen in whose home you placed several teenage boys and girls.”
He kept flipping through the pages, “Is this everyone, judge?”
She reached for the papers, “It’s everyone I know about.”
George pulled the pages back, “Have you ever been to Terrebonne Parrish in Louisiana, judge?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“You said that mighty fast, judge, like you didn’t have to think about it. What if I told you someone saw you there and heard you talking about a body you, Calvin Lessiter and Mackey Broleen had just dumped in the bayou?”
She looked at Delilah, and then glanced toward the door. The two men in suits were standing in the doorway. What happened next happened so fast it hardly had time to register. The conference room in our suite was shaped like a semi-circle with glass top to bottom.
The judge jumped up and, running faster than I would have expected someone her size to run, hurled herself at the plate glass. Her size and speed carried her through. The glass shattered and she flew though the night and onto the parking lot below.
“Wow, a flying judge,” Dave said.
When I looked at Delilah, she was fingering some bones, hanging on a chain around her neck; she had pulled out of her blouse. I realized I had been holding my breath and let it out in a loud exhale.
>
The rest on that day was like a blur. We were questioned by the local police, and the press was there trying to get statements. We were exhausted by midnight.
Of course we couldn’t stay there. We had to move to another hotel. Dave, Delilah and I left to find another place to stay. George and Tracy stayed to talk to the local police.
CHAPTER 42
We boarded a plane the next morning, leaving George and Tracy to finish up paperwork. They said they would see us that night at John’s. George still hadn’t told us who else was on the confession that Judge King had dictated. I would love to have seen it.
When I got back to the Hyatt, Mark was waiting and wanted to know what had happened. When I finished telling him, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten. I ran to my bathroom and emptied my bag of dirty clothes onto the floor. I hadn’t had time to do any laundry and the bag was huge. I was looking for the pair of jeans I had worn when I rescued Julia.
They weren’t there and then I remembered I had left them in Houston, when I had gone back with Mimi, to put Julia in the hospital. Mimi and I did our own housekeeping, except for having a girl twice a week to clean. She didn’t do personal laundry and I was hoping Mimi hadn’t done it either.
Mark came up behind me, “What’s going on? What are you looking for?”
“I feel like an idiot. I had found a note Julia left for me in the apartment at her beach house. It implicated Judge Renfroe. I put it in my jean pocket, but in all the confusion, I forgot about it.”
“You don’t need it do you? Julia can testify herself.”
He picked me up off the floor and held me. I started to cry. “It’s all right, honey. You’re just overwrought. Have you had any sleep lately?”
“Not much,” I said. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll try to take a nap.”
I had just barely dozed off when someone rapped on the door. I could hear Mark and someone else talking in low voices. My curiosity got the best of me, and I went to see who it was. When I opened my door and peeked out, I saw Bill and Mark arguing.
Peggy Holloway - Judith McCain 02 - Portrait on Wicker Page 11