A Classic Case of Murder: Detective Crime Mystery Suspense (Ben and Mark Detective Investigator Mystery Series)

by Parker, Melinda

  “Yes, I do.” Mark replied. “Cindy, do you have any idea what Carrie did other than write? Did she have a business of some kind on the side?”

  Cindy blinked at him. “I, uh…I don’t think so. What kind of business?”

  Mark raised his eyebrows. “That’s what we’re trying to establish.”

  Cindy paused and then shook her head. “I…don’t think she was involved in any kind of business other than writing.”

  Mark nodded and looked around the room. “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Lockhart.”

  “Thank you.”

  The detectives stood up. “If you can think of anything else we need to know, please give us a ring.”

  “I will, thank you.” She took the card he offered to her and looked at it. “Thank you, Inspector Bullard, Sargent Keyes. I do hope you find out who killed Carrie. She was such an awesome human being. It’s a real shame to have her gone from us. I know she’s happier now. But for the rest of us left here, it’s not so peaceful.”

  Once they were in the car, Ben looked at Mark. “She was lying, wasn’t she, sir? About Carrie being involved in some kind of business.”

  Mark nodded. “I’m afraid I think so, Ben. We need to find out what it was that Carrie was doing. Maybe that will lead us to her killer.”

  Melissa Gilmore lived in a house two streets over from Carrie. Ben apologized for not noticing that when they had been at Carrie’s house to begin with.

  “It’s all right, Keyes.” Mark said, reaching up to knock on the large green front door. “I didn’t notice, either, did I?”

  The door was opened by a short, round woman with equally short hair that curled all over her head. She was extremely pleasant and had a wide smile on her pudgy face. “Hello there!” She said. “How can I help you today?”

  They held up their IDs and introduced themselves. Without losing her smile, which seemed to be natural, Melissa tilted her head to the side and looked at them through worried eyes. “Oh what has happened?”

  “May we come in?”

  “Yes, yes.” She stepped back and allowed them in, closing the door behind them. “Please sit.” She said, moving around them to go into the den. She sat in one of the recliners, perched on the edge of it so she could tuck her short legs under her. She folded her hands in her lap.

  “I’m sorry to inform you that your friend, Carrie Wellington, has died.” Mark said in a low voice.

  “Oh!” Melissa gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh!” She couldn’t seem to say much more. “Are you sure? Are you sure it’s her?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Oh that’s terrible. That’s terrible. Poor Amber. Poor Cindy.”

  “How well did you know Carrie?”

  “She was a good friend.” Melissa said. “I’m sure you got my name from her book. We were the five friends, we really were. But I think Carrie is the one who held us all together. She was the glue. She was friendly and kind and helped everyone. I can’t believe it.”

  “Will you please tell us where you were between 2 o’clock yesterday and 4?”

  Melissa’s eyes opened wide. “Do you think…did someone kill Carrie?”

  Mark frowned. “I’m afraid so.”

  “What?!” Melissa had by now completely lost her smile. “That’s not…I can’t…” She didn’t finish. “How?” She asked breathlessly. “How was she…murdered?”

  “Some of the information about this case must be kept secure, Ms. Gilmore.” Mark said. “I’m sorry but at this time everyone is a suspect. May I ask where you were between 2 and 4 yesterday?”

  “I was at the gym. I’m in a workout session between 2:30 and 3:30. I may not look like it…” she flushed. “But I used to be very slender. And I’m trying to get back into shape.” She lowered her head. “Carrie and I were going to run a marathon together later this year. She was helping me out with it, encouraging me to join the gym and get back to running like when we were young.”

  “It’s good to be physically fit.” Ben nodded, giving her a sympathetic look. “It can make you mentally healthy at the same time.”

  Melissa looked at him. “That’s what people have been telling me. I hope so. I’m not the…most positive person in the world. Carrie was always there to boost me up. She was so encouraging and nice…to everyone. I can’t believe this.”

  “Can you think of anyone who you think would harm Carrie?”

  “No I really can’t.” Melissa shook her head. “If she had any enemies, I wouldn’t know who they were.”

  “She didn’t have a boyfriend of any kind?” Mark asked.

  “I didn’t think she was seeing anyone in particular, no.”

  “She wasn’t talking to anyone on social media?”

  Again Melissa shook her head. “No. I really don’t think so. Cindy might know but I think that’s something Carrie would have told us all about when we met for drinks. That’s what we’d do to keep up with each other. Meet for drinks and catch up.”

  “Do you know what Carrie did other than her writing? Was she in a side-business of some kind?”

  Melissa answered immediately. “Not that I know of. Her books were so successful. I wouldn’t think she’d need to be involved in any other kind of business. I do know that she supported several other people in their business ventures, though.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “She invested in small businesses to help them get off the ground.”

  “I see.”

  Ben nodded. He looked up when Mark stood up.

  “Well, we won’t trouble you any more right now, Ms. Gilmore. If you think of anything else, please let us know.”

  Melissa took the card and looked at it. “You know, I don’t know if it’s of any relevance…” She hesitated and Mark raised his eyebrows at her to prompt her to continue. “Well, it’s just that there was someone at the bar we meet at that I recognized last time we were there. I thought he talked to Carrie before we left. I can’t be sure though. He may just have been another fan.”

  “Did she look uncomfortable around him?” Mark asked.

  Melissa shook her head. “Carrie was never uncomfortable around anyone. She had a smile for every person who talked to her. She had fans come up to her all the time and she was very gracious to them.”

  Mark nodded. “Do you have a name for the person you thought you recognized?”

  Melissa was quiet as she thought. “No.”

  “See that you call us if it does. Or should I say when?”

  Melissa smiled. “It’s always good to think positive.”

  “Cindy mentioned that Carrie and Tucker didn’t seem to be talking much at your last meeting. Did you notice that, also?” Mark asked.

  Melissa looked suddenly reluctant to speak. “I did, actually.”

  “You didn’t mention it.”

  She dropped her eyes. “I…I don’t think Tucker would do something like this. He’s…not the type.”

  “All right, thank you, Ms. Gilmore.”

  She walked them to the door.

  “Let’s visit Tucker first.” Mark said when they were back in the car. “What’s his last name, Keyes? And plug in his address to the GPS please.”

  “He’s probably at work now, wouldn’t you think, sir?” Ben asked.

  “Yes, I think you’re probably right. Let’s go there instead. Good thinking, Keyes.”

  “Thank you, sir.” As he looked up Tucker’s place of work, he said. “His last name is Campbell. He’s a…get this…he’s a physical trainer at the gym. Probably the same one that Melissa goes to. It’s at the mall.”

  “We’ll go there, then. They are a true circle of friends. Supporting each other in everything.”

  “So Cindy was Carrie’s accountant and Tucker is their fitness trainer. I wonder if Cindy is everyone’s accountant.”

  “Probably.” Mark said. “But I’m not sure that’s relevant to the case at this time. Something to keep in mind, though. What else can you tell me abou
t Tucker?”

  The GPS told Mark to pull out on the main street and turn right in a quarter of a mile.

  Tucker’s gym was placed just outside the main building of the mall, surrounded by restaurants that looked good to defeat the purpose of his business. They looked in through the huge glass window-walls. There were three women inside, lifting small weights and doing lunges. Tucker was standing off to the side, watching, his arms crossed over his chest, yelling for them to “keep going”, “just three more” and other encouraging words.

  He was a short man who had obviously been body-building for some time. His chest was big and bulky. He had a shaved head and a long scar that ran from his left eye down over his cheekbone to his chin.

  “Let’s see what Tucker has to say about this business.” Mark pulled open the door and they went in.

  Tucker stopped what he was doing when he saw them. They both took note of his face, which seemed to steel itself right before their eyes. His spine straightened. He gave them the impression he might know what was coming.

  “Tucker Campbell?”

  He walked toward them with his hand extended. “Hello. I take it you are not here for fitness training. How can I help you?”

  Mark introduced himself and Ben. “What can you tell us, sir, about Carrie Wellington?”

  “Carrie?” Tucker looked off to the side. “Well, she was a great author. And a good friend. She helped me get this place going. I am grateful to her for that.”

  Mark glanced at Ben and then back to Tucker. “Do you know what’s happened to her? I notice you used the past tense when you spoke of her.”

  Tucker lowered his head and his face flushed. “Okay, well…Cindy kind of called me to tell me what happened.”

  “I see.” Mark replied in a slightly cold voice. “And do you know of anything that might help our investigation?”

  “Nah. Carrie was a great woman. We’ve been friends for years.”

  “How did you become friends with her? Are you a high school friend, like Cindy?”

  “No, she invested in my gym, as I said. It wasn’t going very well then.” He glanced at the ladies who were working out. “Business is kind of slow right now, too. I could use a break.”

  “Do you expect to get something from Carrie’s will?”

  Tucker’s eyes snapped to Mark’s face when he asked the question. Mark raised his eyebrows.

  “I…I don’t know. I…could use it. But I wouldn’t kill her for it. I doubt she’d give me that much.”

  Ben’s phone buzzed and he picked it up, holding it to his ear and walking away from Mark and Tucker. “Hello?”

  Tucker was watching Ben and Mark took a step toward him to get his attention. “How about the others in your circle? Any chance they might have had something to do with this?”

  Tucker clenched his jaw. “I don’t think so. I mean, Jackie is moving away, Melissa is, like, this big Christian or something, and Cindy is her best friend.”

  “You can’t think of any reason why someone would want to harm Carrie, then?”

  “No, I can’t.”

  Ben listened for a moment. “Oh really?” He listened some more. “All right, we’ll be right there.” He hung up and walked back to where Mark and Tucker were standing. “We need to get back to the station.”

  “All right. Mr. Campbell, if you think of anything that might help us find the killer, please let us know.”

  They pushed open the doors and went back out into the sunlight.

  “That was forensics.” Ben said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “Apparently, they were able to pull some stills from the security camera at the Hayes place. The video shows someone getting into the back seat of Carrie’s car.”

  “You’re kidding!” Mark felt a bit of a thrill run through him. “Did they get a picture of this man’s face?”

  “How did you know it was a man?” Ben asked.

  Mark smiled at him. “I’m sure you said at the beginning that it was a man we were looking for. You have good insight. I trust what you say.”

  “Well, thank you, sir.” Ben pulled in a satisfied, proud breath. “Anyway, they did get a blurry photo of the man and it has been enhanced a few times so that it is a bit clearer. We should get over there right now and get a copy.”

  “Yes. We will show it to Melissa and see if it’s the man she was talking about. Then maybe we can narrow down a name and reason for this travesty.”

  “Sounds good, sir.”

  “Call Melissa and tell her not to leave. Tell her we are coming back later or tomorrow morning.”

  “All right.” Ben got back on his phone and did as he was told.

  “Did you notice that Mr. Campbell was not in the least shocked to find out about Carrie’s murder? He didn’t ask any questions about it and showed no emotion.”

  “Yes, sir, I noticed. Maybe he’d gotten it out by the time we got there?”

  “Maybe.” Mark sounded doubtful. “Maybe. He also made a phone call before we were even out of the door.”

  “Oh, did he? Well, Carrie Wellington was so well known, sir, and she was known as someone who was loved by all. It would seem to me that her closest friends might react with a little more emotion.”

  “So who’s lying then? Cindy? Melissa? Tucker?”

  Mark looked at him. “All of them? I don’t know yet. We need more clues.”

  Mark took the stills from the technician and stared at them. He was impressed. The photo had obviously been blown up from the original version but it was quite clear. “This is good, Shane. You are good at your job, aren’t you?”

  “Thank you, sir. As you can see, he was looking all around him before he got in the car. On the video, he walks past the car twice, kind of circling the block. We think he was deciding whether or not he wanted to get in. Finally, he did. Before he did, he looked toward the camera, not seeing it, and got in. We didn’t notice that he looked directly at the camera at all. We don’t think he knew it was there.”

  “That’s a lucky break for us then, isn’t it?” Mark said. He looked over at Ben, who nodded as he took the photos from Mark. “Thank you for your hard work, Shane. We will take these copies now, if you don’t mind.”

  “They’re all yours, Inspector. Good luck.”

  “Yes.”

  Ben gave Shane a nod as he went past, which was returned. Shane swiveled back around to face his computer, leaning forward to look at something on his screen.

  Chapter Four

  They were seated at their desks, looking through documents from Carrie’s house when another technician from the forensics lab approached Mark with a clipboard and some papers.

  “Inspector, here’s the documents you requested. The fingerprints found in the car were not in AFIS. The perpetrator hasn’t been fingerprinted. And the murder weapon has been narrowed down to a guitar string. Specifically the ‘E’ string.”

  Mark frowned. “A guitar string?”

  “Yes, sir. From an acoustic guitar.”

  Mark and Ben looked at each other.

  Ben shook his head. “I’ve got nothing, sir.”

  Mark shook his head. “Me neither. But we have a face and the murder weapon. That’s a good thing. Did you find anything useful in the papers from Carrie’s lockbox?”

  “Well, it looks like a good majority of her money is going to Cindy Lockhart. She did leave a small amount for Melissa and Tucker. Nothing for Jackie, who seems to be the odd man out here. Or woman as the case may be.”

  “Hmmm.” Mark contemplated Ben’s words.

  “I still can’t get Jackie on the phone. And Tucker said she was moving away. She may have already gone.”

  “Keep calling. We need to at least find her.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They walked up the steps quickly. Mark lifted his hand but before he could knock, the big door opened and Melissa beckoned to them. “Come in, inspectors! I was just about to call you and saw you coming up the porch. I think I know where I saw the ma
n in the bar before.”

  “Before you say anything, Ms. Gilmore, please have a look at this photograph. Is this the man you saw in the bar?”

  Melissa took the photos from him. Her eyes opened wide and she looked up at him with a fearful look. “That is him! Is he…is he getting into her car? Oh!” She suddenly looked angry, which did not mix well with the joyful look that usually resided naturally on her face. Her small eyes narrowed and she gestured with the photographs. “Please…come in. You have to see this.”

  She had apparently been searching her own house for something because when they went into the den where they had been before, there were books and papers pulled out of drawers and spread around everywhere.

  “Excuse the mess.” She said. “I was trying to find my scrapbook. You wouldn’t believe how much paper and books I’ve collected over the years. You’d think I was the writer! But I just love to read, so I have all of this here. There’s Carrie’s other works.” She pointed proudly to a shelf high on the wall that displayed all seven of her friend’s children’s books and the three more recent sci-fi books along with the autobiography. “This is what I wanted to show you. Look!” She placed the photo down next to the scrapbook and pointed at a newspaper clipping. It showed two men standing in front of Tucker’s newly remodeled gym, their arms around each other’s shoulders.

  “His name is Luke Hayes. I’m almost certain he’s the man who Carrie stopped to talk to in the bar.”

  Both men leaned over and scanned the two photos. They had to agree that it looked to be the same man. “So he knows Tucker, does he? We have a name now. And a connection.”

  Melissa looked at them with a satisfied look on her round face.

  “What is that?” Ben looked closely at the picture. “Look at this, sir.”

  Mark leaned over the scrapbook to peer into the photo. Behind the two men sat a guitar case.

  Mark and Ben looked at each other. Somebody was a guitar player.

  “Do you have any idea why he would want to harm Carrie? Why a friend of Tucker’s would do something like this?” Mark asked urgently.

  Melissa shook head. “I have no idea.”