by B. T. Lord
Meredith uttered a strangled cry and began to shake so badly, Cammie thought she was on the verge of a mental and physical collapse. Still, she pushed on, fueled by an impatience and anger stemming from the damned scrapbook and what it implied for her. “If you’re protecting Aubrey, you need to stop. He’s not worth you being implicated as an accessory to murder.”
“Oh my God!” she cried out as she began to cry. “How can you think such a thing?”
“Only you and Aubrey knew she was going to be in the woods that day. So if Aubrey didn’t kill her, that leaves you. The torn pages in the garbage bag shows you have a temper. What did Poppie do to you? What did she do to Aubrey?”
“I can’t – I can’t--” she mumbled.
“You can’t what Meredith? You can’t confess to killing Poppie? Or you can’t confess to Aubrey killing her?”
Meredith pushed away from the table so hard, Cammie thought her chair would topple backwards. “I didn’t kill Poppie!” She screamed at the sheriff. “She was my friend. You’re horrible to even suggest such a thing.”
“Were you having an affair with Aubrey?”
Meredith stared at Cammie in wild eyed panic as she pulled hysterically at her hair. As Cammie got up to calm her, she suddenly swooned and fell to the floor.
Cammie went over and checked her pulse. She then stuck her head out of the interrogation room.
“Emmy, call Doc. Meredith has fainted.”
An hour later, a revived Meredith was sitting back in her chair. She was pale and weak and barely responsive when Doc tried to speak to her.
“I’m driving Ms. Quigley back to the inn where I’m going to give her a sedative,” Doc said as he closed up his bag.
“I’m not finished questioning her,” Cammie replied.
He cocked a surprised eyebrow at her. He thought he’d seen Cammie in all her facets, but it unnerved him to see the steely edge as she stared coldly at the addled woman.
“Let’s talk about this outside.” He walked out into the hallway, followed by Cammie. “The woman is a heartbeat away from a breakdown. I’m sure your questioning can wait until at least tomorrow.”
“You’re talking about someone who may very well be a murderer. I don’t have time for her theatrics.”
Doc was about to offer a sharp rebuke when he abruptly pulled back. There was something going on with Cammie – something that had nothing to do with Meredith or the Beresford case. There was an emotion eating away at her that was palpable. However, his priority right now was the woman on the other side of the door. He tamped down his temper and gave her his best professional look.
“As a doctor, I can tell you categorically that Ms. Quigley is not being theatrical. She has been under a great deal of strain, and it’s now beginning to show. She’s coming apart at the seams, Cammie. I’m asking you to wait until tomorrow to continue your questioning. At least give her the evening to pull herself together.”
He felt her reluctance. But in the end, she agreed.
Ninety minutes later, Aubrey was seated in the same chair Meredith had been seated in. Unlike his predecessor, he looked calm and collected.
“You already spoke to my wife this morning, so I can’t imagine what you’d want with me. Be that as it may, your summons interrupted a very important chapter I’m working on, so can we please hurry this up?”
“Were you and Meredith Quigley having an affair?”
He stared at her in surprise for a moment before breaking out in laughter. “You are certainly grasping at straws, Sheriff. Why would I go after a non-descript little nothing when I have the crème de la crème at home?”
His disparaging description of Meredith rankled her. She felt the hold on her temper slipping. “You were seen arriving at Meredith’s house several times a month for six years before you abruptly stopped visiting three months ago. What happened? Did she break it off or did you? And did you break it off because Veronica found out?”
Aubrey calmly eyed her. “You missed your calling. You should be writing fiction.”
“We found your Magic Calico books shredded and destroyed in Meredith’s home. It can’t be because she’s a literary critic and thought your books sucked.”
This got his attention. “She destroyed my books?” he asked.
“Yes. Quite thoroughly.”
“They were a goddamn gift! They were first editions signed by me! How dare she--”
“You know what they say. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, sheriff. I have better sense and better taste than to sleep with that scarecrow of a woman.”
“Then why did you visit her on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for six years? To discuss the weather? Or the latest installment of the Magic Calico series?”
Aubrey flashed her an indignant look before settling back in his chair. “If you must know, we met to discuss birds.”
It was Cammie’s turn to laugh. “For a writer, I would think you’d come up with something a little more creative.”
“It’s the truth. I was doing research for my books and Meredith is a walking encyclopedia. She worked as a librarian and knows a lot about a lot of things.”
“I may not be a novelist, but even I know it didn’t take you six years to write one book. You publish one every year.”
“Have you ever read my work?” he asked.
“Can’t say that I have.”
“Then you don’t know that birds play a very important role in the series. Sometimes they aid Magic in his work. Sometimes they’re the enemy. Meredith was very helpful in that regard. In fact, book number seven is dedicated to her.”
Cammie suddenly slammed her hand on the table. “I’m getting sick and tired of these games of yours. First you lie about Veronica being at your dinner. Now you’re lying about the nature of your relationship with Meredith. Did Poppie find out about your affair? Is that why she had to die?”
For a moment, she thought he was going to jump to his feet and bolt out of the room. Instead, he met her eye.
“Alright, Sheriff, I see now it was stupid of me to lie about Veronica. It would have been easy for you to check it out, which you did. As I’ve told you before and I tell you again. I had nothing to do with Poppie’s death.”
“Come on, Aubrey. You invited those two women to your house when your wife was away because you had something to tell them. Maybe they were threatening to rat you out to Veronica that you were sleeping with one or both of them. Maybe they had some other dirt on you that would destroy your Magic Calico Kingdom. That’s why you lied to me about Veronica. If I believed she was there, then I’d believe it was a simple dinner of four friends getting together. Twin Ponds may be as much of a one horse town as Mategwas, but we’re not stupid. I’m not stupid. Your ruse to pull one over on me failed.”
Aubrey shrugged. “You’re going to believe what you want to believe, but it’s not true. I screwed up by not telling you, but there was nothing underhanded about it. I did it because I didn’t want to be dragged into all this.”
“Too late. You’re in it up to your eyeballs.”
His expression abruptly changed. He leaned over and gave her a look so full of menace and hate that it confirmed her feelings about him. “I’m going to leave now and call my lawyer. If you continue to insist that I killed Poppie Beresford, and if that so much as touches my career, your career will go up in smoke so quickly you won’t know what hit you.”
Cammie countered with a cold smile. “I’ve had worse people than you threaten me, Aubrey. I’m going to find Poppie’s killer. You’d better pray it’s not you.”
CHAPTER TEN
It was three o’clock in the morning when Cammie’s cell phone rang. The discovery of the scrapbook and her frustration with both Aubrey and Meredith had rattled around her brain to such an extent that she knew she’d never sleep unless she took a sleeping pill. She was out cold when the trilling of the phone pulled her up from the depths of unconsciousness.
It took her a few moments to realize where she was and what had awakened her.
She reached over to the phone and pulled it to her. “Sheriff Farnsworth,” she mumbled.
“Sorry to wake you up, Sheriff, but it’s Tom. Ms. Quigley had some kind of seizure. Doc happened to be here checking on her when it happened. He called Mark Nelsson, who airlifted us to Cary Medical. I would have called you sooner but it happened so fast, I didn’t have time.”
“When did this happen?”
“Around midnight. I’m at the hospital now. As soon as I hear more, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Tom.” She hung up and replaced the cell on the night stand. She then covered her face with her hands.
“What happened?” a groggy Jace asked. She explained to him what she’d been told.
Mark ran a helicopter service in Twin Ponds. He’d been a pilot during the Gulf War and was now a nature and hunting guide. In emergencies, he flew the injured to the nearest hospital, which was two hours away in the town of Houlton.
“At least she’s in good hands,” Jace replied as he laid back down. A few moments later, he was asleep.
Cammie stared out the window that overlooked Mkazawi Pond, unable to convince herself that she wasn’t responsible for Meredith’s seizure. Her gut had told her to hold back, to not push so hard. She’d disregarded it because she needed to lash out at someone. To relieve her own fear and anger. It was Meredith’s unlucky fate to be that emotional punching bag.
Knowing she’d never get back to sleep, she crept out of bed and padded into the kitchen. There she set about making herself a cup of chamomile tea. She then stood at the picture window that looked out over the pond. Her mind raced in twenty different directions – towards Poppie, towards Meredith and Aubrey, towards Doc. And finally towards that damned scrapbook. Why had she even looked at the crappy thing? Why couldn’t she have simply put Harry’s wallet down on the desk and walked away?
Because you’re nosy. You always say it’s part of your job to be nosy, but you just can’t help yourself.
She sighed as she grappled with her guilt. And silently offered up a prayer that Meredith would be okay.
Cammie dreaded calling Doc. With a few choice words, he would shred her for what he viewed as her uncaring attitude to an obviously sick woman. But there was no way around it. She needed to hear from him what happened. She had no choice but to suck it up.
Drinking an extra cup of coffee to fortify her nerves, she willed herself to dial his number. He answered on the third ring.
“She’s not dead, if that’s what you’re calling about,” he said in a weary voice.
“What happened?”
“Her nerves gave out. She was having severe heart palpitations, which led to hyperventilation. Thank God I decided to check up on her on my way back from another case. I thought it best not to take any chances and had Mark fly us to Cary.”
“Are you sure you went with them? You sound too chipper.”
It was well known throughout Clarke County that Doc hated flying in Mark’s helicopter. Every time he flew, the entire population could hear his cursing and screeching from the air.
“I’m too tired to be cranky.”
“Are you still at the hospital?”
“No. I’m about ten minutes from home. We were able to get her stabilized. My colleague Dr. Foster is keeping an eye on her and will provide me with updates, which I’ll pass on to you.
“How long do you think she’ll be there?”
“They’re going to run a series of tests to make sure it wasn’t a heart attack. If everything checks out, she’ll be released later this afternoon. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to hang up. I need all my faculties to keep awake until I get home.”
Whew. That wasn’t so bad.
A moment later he rang back. “I know you’re investigating a murder, but what you did to her – whether she’s guilty or not – was… All I can say is that I’m very disappointed in you, Cammie.” He hung up.
His words sliced through her heart. They took the guilt she was already feeling and magnified it. She took a halting breath, then called Tom, who repeated pretty much what Doc had told her. “I’ll keep you up to date,” he said before ending the call.
She replaced her phone in her pocket, took a last swig of coffee and deliberately pushed Doc’s words out of her mind.
Arriving at HQ, Cammie shared with Emmy and Rick what had transpired the night before.
“So that’s that. We’ll see what condition she’s in when she and Tom get back.”
“Cam, do you honestly think she’s capable of killing Poppie?” Rick asked. “She’s been teetering on the edge ever since we met her. You go after her and she completely falls apart.”
“There are two ways to look at that, Rick,” Cammie answered thoughtfully. “We know the little mouse has a roar. Look what she did to Aubrey’s books. Having said that, it’s easier to shred a bunch of books than to kill someone. However, maybe she’s been on the edge because she did kill Poppie, and the guilt of what she did is tearing her apart.”
“I suppose. But if you were to ask me which of the two is more capable of murder – my money is on Aubrey.”
“If it’s any consolation, my instincts are pointing that way too. I have a sense he’d do anything to protect his Magic Calico empire, including killing someone who might threaten it.”
“Speaking of Mr. Gardiner,” Emmy spoke up, “remember when you asked me to see if anything significant happened to him within the last six months?” Cammie nodded. “It turns out he’s nominated for the Newbery Medal.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s an annual award given by the American Library Association for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. It’s a pretty big deal.”
Cammie and Rick exchanged looks. “Do you think that’s what triggered Meredith’s attack on the Magic Calico books?” he asked.
“Could be. But why should she get so upset? It’s not like she’s competing with him for the award.”
“Kevin Baker said he was full of himself, which isn’t that big of a surprise. Maybe Meredith got angry because she knew he’d be even more unbearable.”
Cammie sat up in her chair. “Or maybe she got angry because she didn’t think he deserved it.”
“My mother saw him interviewed on TV once,” Emmy spoke up. “She didn’t like him at all. In fact, she’s convinced he doesn’t even like kids.”
“Yet, he’s making a killing from them,” Rick replied. “Okay, so here’s the deal. Meredith knows what a complete ass he is. She may even know that he hates kids. So when she finds out he’s nominated for this award, she hits the roof. Her emotions are already hanging by a thread. I can so see her going off the deep end and ripping his books to smithereens. Heck, if my nieces and nephews didn’t like the stories so much, I’d never spend another cent on them myself. Especially now having met the pompous butthead.”
“I also looked up the cell phone records for Meredith and Aubrey like you asked me to,” Emmy continued. “It’s kinda sad when you look at Meredith’s. At first I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so I went back three months. It’s the same. Nobody called Meredith and the only person she called was Poppie. Last month it went crazy. She got over sixty calls from one particular number.”
“You’re kidding!” Cammie exclaimed.
“Nope.” Emmy looked from one to the other. “They were all from Aubrey.” The two officers gasped. “I double checked those numbers against Aubrey’s cell phone records and it’s a perfect match.”
“Why the hell would he call Meredith so many times?” Cammie asked aloud to herself. “It doesn’t make sense. Well, we’ll just have to see what she says when I confront her with all this new information. Great job, Em.”
The young woman smiled as she got up and left the office. Rick remained seated. “Is there anything else?” Cammie asked.
“Well, there is. Kinda.”
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br /> She sat back in her chair. “I’m all ears.”
“Now, I don’t want you to get upset or anything.”
“I’ll get upset if you don’t tell me what’s on your mind.”
He took a deep breath and met her eye. “Maybe I should go with you when you question Meredith.” She raised an eyebrow. “Look, I’m not questioning your interrogation skills. Hell, I learn something new every time I watch you. But Meredith – well--”
“You think I overdid it.” He hesitated, then nodded.
“Maybe just a smidgeon. I hope you’re not angry that I said anything.”
Cammie looked at him for a long moment, then sighed. “Rick, I kept you on as deputy not only because you’re a good officer, but because you’re not a yes man. I need you to tell me how it is, not how you think I want it to be.”
He nodded in relief. “I know how private you are and all, but Emmy and I have been feeling there’s something else going on with you. You know we’ve always got your back, no matter what.”
“I know that, Rick. And I’m grateful for it. As a matter of fact, there is something else going on. Something that I’m still trying to figure out.” She stood up. “But your point is well taken. I’ll make sure I don’t let my personal matter interfere with the case, including how I question our suspects.” She grabbed her jacket and pulled it on. “I’m off on my rounds. See you in a few hours.”
Rick walked out into the foyer and sat down at his desk. Emmy looked up from her computer.
“The sheriff okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. She admitted there’s something going on with her that’s affecting how she deals with this case. She said she’s dealing with it though.”
“Well, at least someone in this office is smart enough to do that,” she said as she gazed at him.