Hippity Hoppity Homicide

by Kathi Daley

  “Anyway,” Ellie continued, “Nancy described the man Will was with as being tall—at least six feet three or four inches—and very thin. She said he looked like a pencil. He had dark brown hair cut conservatively and he wore glasses, wire-framed. She also said he was overdressed for the venue, wearing a white dress shirt with dark dress slacks. I don’t know if that’s important information, but I thought you should know.”

  “Did Nancy say if she spoke to Will?” I asked.

  “She said she didn’t. She waved at him, but he was so focused on his conversation that he didn’t notice, and she didn’t want to interrupt. She said both men seemed really intent on what they were discussing. In fact, they both were holding their forks but neither was eating.”

  “Did Nancy tell this to Salinger?”

  “No. She said he interviewed her parents, but he hadn’t contacted her. Not that he’d have a reason to, because she wasn’t at the motel when the shooting occurred and her parents weren’t aware she’d run into Will, so they wouldn’t have brought it up. She thought about calling the sheriff’s office, but she admitted Salinger intimidates her. He pulled her over for speeding once and he made it seem like she’d assassinated the president or something. In her words, ‘the guy is way too intense.’”

  I could see how Salinger could come off that way. I mean, he’d arranged for me to be fired from a job I’d had since I’d been a teenager on our first encounter. “Okay, thanks. I’ll mention it to him. He was called out to deal with an accident, but he said he’d check in with us this afternoon. I’ve been told not to sleuth if Zak or Salinger aren’t with me, so I’m not going to, but I’m dying to try to figure out who Will met for lunch. I don’t suppose it would put us in any danger to talk to the waitstaff as long as we’re here. Someone might know who the tall man with the wire-rimmed glasses was.”

  “Don’t,” Ellie said. “I know you. You’re like a dog with a bone. A few questions will lead to new questions, and before you know it we’ll be heading across town to check out some lead. You’ll ask me to wait in the car with the babies and I will. You’ll assure me you won’t be in any danger, but you always seem to end up in something awful. I’ll realize you’re in trouble and I’ll have to try to decide what to do, help you or stay with the babies as I promised. I’ll end up staying with the babies because it’ll seem like the right thing to do, knowing all the while that some madman is going to kill you any moment. Eventually, Salinger will arrive, but will it be in time? Who needs the stress?”

  I laughed. “You’ve thought about this, haven’t you?”

  “Since the moment you told me you were pregnant. Now, let’s go buy Catherine a frilly dress and forget about all this sleuthing nonsense.”

  “Okay,” I reluctantly agreed. I’d known being sidelined would be tough; I just hadn’t known how tough.

  Chapter 9

  Salinger stopped by later in the afternoon, after Ellie and I had come home from shopping. Both Eli and Catherine were sitting happily in their swings while Ellie looked on from her spot on the sofa, where she was reading a parenting magazine.

  After Zak poured everyone something to drink, he started right in. “I think I may have identified the man Will was talking about when he spoke to Brady.” Zak slid a photo of a tall, thin man with wire-rimmed glasses to the center of the table.

  “That’s the man Ellie told me that Nancy saw having lunch with Will on Saturday,” I blurted out.

  Both Zak and Salinger looked at me.

  “Ellie and I had lunch at Rosie’s. That reminded Ellie that she’d spoken to a woman who used to waitress there back when she worked there too. Nancy was at mommy-and-me with Ellie and mentioned to her that she’d seen Will in the café with a man she didn’t recognize on the day before he was shot. She said he was tall and thin with dark hair and wire-rimmed glasses.” I pointed to the photo. “Tall and thin with wire-rimmed glasses. This has to be the guy.”

  “Did Ellie say if Nancy happened to catch his name?” Salinger asked.

  “No. Nancy said she waved at Will, but he was so focused on the other man he didn’t seem to notice her. She didn’t want to interrupt them. I bet this guy has been nursing a grudge for however many years and finally flipped out.”

  Zak frowned. “I kind of doubt it, but I don’t suppose it’s outside the realm of possibility.”

  Salinger turned his attention to Zak. “What exactly did you find out?”

  “The man in the photo is Wesley Riverton. He graduated college at about the same time as Will and both were offered jobs with Wentworth Industries, based in Central California. Wentworth was a startup company thirty years ago, but they were a company with vision. Their focus was on new technology, strictly innovative, cutting-edge stuff. Apparently, Will and Wesley were assigned to work together on a project that would revolutionize communications the way we know it. They did the math, came up with a concept, and built a prototype, which Wentworth ended up selling to the military. The application of the project was classified, but Wentworth, and Will Danner, were suddenly primetime news. I don’t know why Wesley Riverton wasn’t part of the media coverage. Wentworth Industries went on to become a global, multibillion-dollar company, Will received job offers that, had he accepted them, would have sent his career onto the fast lane, and Wesley was never heard from again.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair,” I said.

  “Unless there was something else going on that I don’t know about, it wasn’t fair,” Zak agreed.

  “What about Danner?” Salinger asked. “You said he received job offers that would have launched his career if he’d accepted one of them. He didn’t accept any?”

  Zak shook his head. “After the media circus died down he got married and took a job at a small private university. I have no idea why, although life in the fast lane isn’t for everyone, and from what I knew of Will, I doubt it was a lifestyle he was cut out for.”

  “Okay, so all these years later this Wesley guy shows up in Will’s life and wants to meet? Why?” I asked.

  Zak shrugged. “I guess with Will dead you’ll have to ask Wesley. And by you, I mean Salinger.”

  “Do we know if he’s still in town?” Salinger asked.

  “I couldn’t find evidence that he is, but I haven’t found anything to the contrary either,” Zak answered. “I’ll keep looking.”

  I sat back and let everything sink in a bit. I felt like we were getting somewhere, but were we? “Okay, so at this point we have Wesley Riverton, who we’re pretty sure had lunch with Will on the day before he died, as a suspect, as well as the brother-in-law, Evan Strong. Anyone else?”

  “I managed to get the manager at the hotel where Strong has been staying to give me the contact information of the couple in the room next to his on Sunday night. According to them, the television in Strong’s room was on until after midnight,” Salinger reported. “That doesn’t prove Strong was in the room the entire time, but it does seem to support his story.”

  “So if Strong was telling the truth, that only leaves Wesley Riverton or the cabinet guy,” I summed up.

  “I checked further into Trenton Cline’s finances,” Zak said. “The money that was deposited into his account was a loan. I verified it with the lender. I don’t think Cline is our guy. It seems Will’s death actually hurt his chances of recovering what he feels he’s owed.”

  “So it has to be Riverton,” I said.

  “Or someone who hasn’t yet come to mind,” Salinger countered. “Either way, I’d like to have a chat with him. I’ll see what I can find out.” Salinger looked at Zak. “Let me know if you manage to track him down first.”

  After Salinger left Zak and I decided we could use some fresh air, so we bundled up Catherine and put her in the baby pack while I rounded up the household dogs. It was another beautiful sunny day. Ashton Falls had experienced some truly horrific March storms in the past, but it looked like this year it was going to come in and go out like a lamb.

  “It fee
ls like May,” Zak said as we strolled along the beach. “I keep thinking this weather can’t possibly hold, but so far…”

  “Don’t jinx it,” I warned Zak. “I love the snow, but this year I’d prefer to glide into the change of seasons without the drama of early spring storms.”

  “I agree. I’m ready for some warm weather. I think the kids are beginning to get spring fever as well. Scooter asked me last night when we were going to get the boat out of storage. The way the weather is now, I’m tempted, but I’ve lived in the area long enough to know a mild March can lead to a cold April.”

  I leaned my head on Zak’s shoulder as we walked, enjoying the time we had in the sunshine, especially if it wasn’t destined to last. The five dogs who were rambling along with us were chasing each other into the lake and then back out onto the sand again. They were going to need a good rinsing when we got home.

  “Did you get what you need for Easter?” Zak asked.

  I nodded. “Ellie talked me into a dress for Catherine that I’m not too sure about, but otherwise I think we’re ready. We have a menu, though we still need to buy the food, we have eggs to hide for the older kids, baskets for everyone ten and under, and games and outdoor toys for the older kids.”

  “Sounds great. I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to a holiday the way I am this one.”

  I squeezed Zak’s arm. “I’m just glad we’ll all be here to celebrate Catherine’s first Easter.”

  Zak turned and kissed me on the top of the head. “Me too. I try not to think about what we went through with Claudia, but it’s hard to put it out of my mind completely.”

  “Have you spoken to Shredder at all?” I asked.

  “Yes, I have. He couldn’t confirm where Claudia is now, but he did say she’d left the country and he was hot on her trail. I got the impression she was being her slippery self, so capturing her was in no way guaranteed. But I also think he won’t give up no matter how long it takes.”

  “It must be lonely being him,” I said. “Always chasing after someone and never really having the chance to settle down and have what we have.” I ran a hand over Catherine’s dark hair.

  “I suppose it’s the life he chose.”

  I frowned. “I’m not sure about that. At least not entirely. I sort of have the feeling he tried to get out and settle in one place when he moved to Hawaii, but something happened and he was pulled back in. He didn’t say as much, but when I spoke to him it sounded like he was going to make a move of some sort.”

  “He’s leaving Hawaii?” Zak asked.

  “Maybe. You know Shredder; he’s not one for sharing, but I picked up a vibe when I spoke to him. Of course, we were trying to save your life, so it’s not like we entered into some sort of deep personal conversation. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to find he’d relocated the next time we talk to him. Like Claudia, he seems to be constantly in a state of motion. Hovering from time to time, but never really stopping and putting down roots.”

  Zak abruptly changed the subject. “Speaking of roots, I think the big tree in the front died over the winter. I was thinking of replacing it with a maple. The fall color will be nice, and maples tend to do well around here.”

  “A maple would be nice,” I agreed, completely aware of how absurd it was to have discussed murder suspects, a top-secret black ops agent and his life choices, and a new tree for the drive within the span of less than fifteen minutes.

  I suppose life is what you make of it, and we seemed to be working on a colorful but illogical abstract of some sort.

  ******

  The danger seemed to have passed, so Levi and Ellie decided to head home. We still didn’t know who’d killed Will, but, unlike the madwoman who had kidnapped Zak, we didn’t feel the killer posed a danger to the family. Zak and Salinger had spoken again on the phone and had decided the prime suspect was Wesley Riverton. Not only had Will stolen his limelight on a project they’d worked on together, but Zak had continued to dig and had found that Riverton had dated the woman who would eventually become Will’s wife before he had. As far as Zak could tell, Will hadn’t only stolen Riverton’s glory but his woman as well.

  “I’ve been craving a big juicy hamburger all day,” I said to Zak later that afternoon as we began to discuss dinner preparations.

  “We don’t have either ground sirloin or fresh rolls, but I’d be happy to run to the market to get some if you’d like. It’s nice enough again this evening to grill the meat.”

  I picked up my keys. “Catherine is napping and the older kids are occupied. Why don’t you make a pasta salad to go with the burgers and I’ll run to the market? Do we need anything else?”

  “Maybe another carton of milk, but otherwise I think we’re good for a couple of days.”

  I kissed Zak on the lips. “Okay. I won’t be long. There’s a bottle of formula in the refrigerator all ready to go if Catherine wakes up.”

  Unfortunately, the market was crowded at this time of day; people with nine-to-five jobs were just beginning to get off. I grabbed what I needed and went to the checkout. I found a line with just two people in front of me, so I slipped into it just before at least ten other people got there behind me. Today must be my lucky day; normally, I’d be the one to get into line just after ten other people made the decision to do the same thing.

  “Zoe, fancy meeting you twice in one week,” Della Stone greeted me as I slid into line behind her, not realizing who was just before me.

  Drat. I’d really hoped to get out of the market quickly.

  “Had a hamburger craving,” I said, hoping my brief reply would serve as a hint that a lengthy conversation wasn’t desired.

  Della held up a box. “Mac and cheese. I don’t know what it is about the stuff, but when I’m feeling really down mac and cheese is the only thing that can make the world seem right again.”

  A really good friend would ask Della why she’d been feeling down, but I just wanted to pay for my items and get home to Zak and the kids, so I smiled and didn’t reply. Della only had three items, so she was able to check out quickly. I waved and sighed with relief as she headed toward the exit minus the long conversation I’d been afraid she’d trap me into engaging in.

  I paid for my own groceries and headed toward my car. That was when I noticed Della standing in front of her car with the hood up.

  Pretend you don’t see her, I mentally schooled myself as I walked briskly to my vehicle. I slipped my one bag onto the backseat and had opened the driver’s side door when I caught Della out of the corner of my eye.

  “Damn,” I said out loud as I closed the door. I walked over to where she was standing. “Is there a problem with your car?” I found myself asking almost against my will.

  “It won’t start,” Della said with tears in her eyes. “Talk about a perfectly horrible end to a perfectly horrible day.”

  “I’m not a mechanic, but I can help you get a tow truck if you’d like,” I offered.

  “I have ice cream that will melt if I wait for a tow. If you can give me a ride home I’ll call a friend to help get the car started.”

  I wanted to groan, but instead I smiled. “I’d be happy to give you a ride. Grab your bag and we’ll get going.”

  “Thank you so much,” Della said. She opened the back door of her car to reveal the presence of ten bags rather than the one I was expecting.

  “You have a lot more than I thought,” I said as Della picked up the first bag.

  “I made a few stops before I came here. I hope you have room in your trunk for all this.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed. “Me too.”

  I pulled my car around so we could load Della’s stuff directly into my trunk. Luckily, the small house she’d rented was only about five minutes from the market. When we arrived I pulled into her driveway and began to help her unload her belongings. A bottle fell out of the first bag and onto the floor of my trunk. I picked it up. “Moonshine?” I asked after reading the logo on the bottle.

&nb
sp; “The real stuff, imported from Kentucky. I found a little liquor shop just outside of town that sells it. The stuff is goooood,” Della said, stringing out the word.

  “Is it strong?”

  “Oh yeah.” Della smiled. “You have to get used to it and know how to sip it real slow. Alyssa and I were sipping on it last Sunday when she was over, but she was so upset over Will that she didn’t take it slow like she should have and ended up passing out after only an hour. That girl is a bit of a lightweight.”

  I slipped the bottle back into the bag. I supposed the fact that Alyssa wasn’t only with Della when Will was shot but was passed out provided an even more solid alibi. Once I had a bag in each arm I followed Della to the front door. After she unlocked it I followed her to the kitchen, where I set the two bags on the counter.

  I was heading back through the living area to grab the next two bags when I noticed a photo of Will with Della. Odd; hadn’t she said they didn’t know each other all that well? I paused and took a closer look at the photo. Based on the background, it hadn’t been taken in Ashton Falls. It looked like it had been taken in…

  “Florida,” Della said. “Daytona Beach, to be exact.”

  I turned and looked at Della, who was standing behind me. “I didn’t know you knew Will before he came to Ashton Falls.” It was then I noticed the hardness in her eyes.

  “Will and I first met in Florida. He was teaching at a small university where I worked part time in the bookstore.”

  I glanced at the photo again. Suddenly, I realized that when Will had mentioned to Phyllis that an ex had come into the picture, complicating his relationship with Alyssa, it was his ex and not hers, as I’d assumed. “Will is the man you dated while living in Florida who left and broke your heart?”

  Della laughed, although the sound wasn’t one of humor or glee. It was more of a laugh of insanity. “Will and I were supposed to get married. I loved him and I thought he loved me. We had such a bright future, but then his old man died and he decided he needed a change. He told me that he cared about me and that he’d always value our time together, but then he told me he’d decided to move back to Ashton Falls. Ashton Falls! The very place where I’d grown up. I mean really, what are the odds?”