Sequestered with the Murderers

by Dr. Sandra Tanner

  “I thought you had some dirt on him since he reacted so quickly to your command.”

  “It’s nothing like that. We are old hunting buddies. I come across many people from several counties through Boaz Fields. I met Hugo through his son, Roland, who needed my help many years ago.”

  “Well, well, it looks like you have clout across several counties. How do you find time to do all that you do?”

  “Same as you. Love of what you do.”

  “So true. I love investigating, and I love my restaurant.”

  “Do you still hunt? Joe and Holt Junior are zealous hunters.”

  “I don’t hunt anymore. I do understand their love for it.”

  “Said by a true hunter.”

  “Absolutely. What did you learn from the Lacecap police reports?”

  “A lot of the information in the reports was redacted. The name of the husband and wife joggers who found Diantha’s body is blacked out. I need to talk to them. Can you get their names?”

  Talking to them would give me information from someone who was there. People like these two usually saw more than they think they saw. However, a ten year span can eradicate the senses. Nevertheless, it is worth a try to get them to recall details they may have overlooked.

  “I’m sure I can. I must say you are thorough. You leave no stone unturned, do you? It wouldn’t surprise me if you called me tomorrow saying you have solved the whole thing.”

  “Well, thank you for the vote of confidence. However, I’m afraid I need a few more puzzle pieces to fit together before that happens.

  “This has been a good chat. You are close. I can feel it. What else do you need from me?”

  “What do you know about the park where Diantha’s body was found?”

  “I’ve forgotten the name of the park, but it is the biggest park in Envyton County.”

  “It was Mystical Rock State Park. Her body was found down an embankment on the edge of Mystical Pond. The report said not many people were in the park during the time she was found. Only the joggers saw Diantha’s body.”

  “What day was it?”

  “It was a Sunday around 10:17 am.”

  “I would assume that most people were in Sunday school at that time. Envyton County is a church-going county. I know of the park. I’ve not heard of any other murders taking place there. From what I’ve heard, the park is well-favored by the county residents. What does this have to do with Duffy’s murder?”

  “Nothing that I know of yet. You’re probably right about why the park was not heavily visited on a Sunday morning. I don’t have any more information to provide. Gam and I leave for our mini-vacation tonight. I’ll be back home Monday, so I’ll call you on Tuesday.”

  “Enjoy yourself. I’ll talk to you on Tuesday.”

  “I will. Say hello to Kasper for me.

  “Will do. Bye, Vett.

  I hung up and immediately called Dimma. I had promised her an update before I went on vacation.

  “Hi, Dimma. It’s Vett.”

  “Hey, Vett. Are you all packed?”

  “I am, and I am keeping to my word of giving you an update on my murder case before I go on vacation.”

  “I’m thrilled. One of the news channels last night gave a brief update on the murder. Did you see it?”

  “Afraid not. I was at Duffy’s viewing. What did it say?”

  “Nothing that you haven’t already told me. The police are asking anyone with any information to please come forward.”

  “This tells me that they are nowhere near solving the case.”

  “What have you learned since we last spoke?” Dimma asked.

  After providing Dimma with an update, she wanted to know who I was contacting next. This was the same question I had asked myself.

  “I’m going to contact Fern Rivers. She’s the detective assigned to the Diantha Lloyd murder case. There is a connection to Duffy there. I just don’t know what it is yet.”

  “Are you saying you think Duffy murdered Diantha?”

  “I’m not quite sure what I am saying yet, but I do have a question for you. On the night of the murder, do you remember seeing Joe McClain and Holt Pruitt, Jr. standing outside near the restrooms chitchatting? They said they were out there for a bit stretching their legs.”

  “Vett, I don’t remember seeing anyone. I hurried in and out of the ladies’ room. A lot of good that did me. I still had to stand in the cold for a bit. I understand why Lemmonee didn’t want to unlock the door right away, but I wish she had.”

  “She was just trying to follow protocol.”

  Dimma and I talked for twenty minutes longer, then said our goodbyes. Aunt Clove, Solardette, and my parents were expecting a telephone call from me. I called Solardette next.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Solardette. It’s Vett.”

  “Hi, Vett. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. I don’t have any answers on the case yet. I do have a question for you.”

  “Okay. What is it?”

  “On the night of the murder, do you remember seeing Joe McClain and Holt Pruitt, Jr. standing outside near the restrooms chitchatting? They said they were out there for a bit stretching their legs.”

  “Hmm, let me think. No, I don’t remember that. They could have been out there, but I don’t remember seeing them. Is this important?”

  “Yes, it is. I’m trying to corroborate their story.”

  “Vett, I wish I could be more helpful. I just don’t remember seeing them out there.”

  “That’s not a problem. Someone will remember seeing them.”

  “I am sure someone will.”

  “Thanks, Solardette. I’ll call you when I get more information. Have a good day.”

  “Bye, Vett.”

  Next, I called Aunt Clove, then my parents, speaking to each for ten minutes. When I finished with the phone calls, I ate a late lunch. I then finished packing my clothes, setting my overnight bag by the front door. I then dressed for my trip. For the remainder of the afternoon, I worked on my vision board with the name Whirley swimming around in my head. I was rereading my board for the umpteenth time when I heard Gam open the front door and enter.

  “Baby, I’m home. Let’s roll. I’m ready to roll.”

  “I’m ready. My overnight bag is by the door.”

  I grabbed my handbag and bag with my case files, then met Gam at the front door.

  CHAPTER 18

  The drive to Serenity Bed, Breakfast and Dinner only takes one hour and forty-five minutes to two hours, depending on the traffic. We had only been on the road for ten minutes when I burst forth with, “Gam, have you ever heard the name, Whirley.”

  “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name. Why?”

  “It’s the name of a Black man Jackson’s sister, Lanta, was in love with in her younger years. He is the brother and uncle of Ms. Lacecap and Diantha Lloyd, respectively. They’re the Lacecap Hydrangea Murder victims.”

  “So how does Whirley fit into all this and Duffy’s murder?”

  “I don’t know yet, but he does. I don’t understand anything about Duffy’s murder at this point. The pieces aren’t fitting together, and I keep getting more pieces. Today, Jackson mentioned Whirley. Now the name is swimming around in my head like I’m supposed to know it. Damn it: I don’t know what it means.”

  “Yeah, you do know something. You just said the pieces aren’t fitting together. So you have pieces. Why are you stressed out about this case? You’ve got another week. You’ve solved every one of your cases in two weeks or less. So what’s bothering you?”

  “This is my first case for a company, a business. I just don’t want to mess it up. You know, I don’t want to let Jackson down.”

  “You won’t. You’ve never let down any of your clients. And speaking of businesses,
I think you should get your PI license. I heard the application process is easy to complete. The application fee is $25, and there’s a fingerprint fee. I’m not sure what the cost for that is. You’re already doing the work of a private investigator, so you might as well be licensed.”

  “As Solardette said to me last Saturday, ‘Great minds think alike.’ I’ve been thinking about doing just that. I think it will help me get more work from businesses.”

  “You don’t need to worry about finding work. It’s kind of uncanny how cases just fall into your lap. I’ve never seen anything like it. As soon as you solve one case, in a few weeks—sometimes the next day or while you are on a case—another one just magically appears. It’s unnatural. So unnatural. Now, do you want to tell me about the information you do have on your case,” Gam said so lullingly.

  Gam’s soothing voice and gentleness in changing the subject calms me down every time. In my stressed out fever, I don’t see him doing it. But once calm, I see clearly what he has done. He thinks he is clever, and he is.

  “Well, what happened seems impossible—a murder in a rest area maintenance room without anyone seeing anything. So the impossible truly happened, or people don’t understand what they saw, or people are hiding what they saw. I think the latter two are more likely.”

  “Why?”

  “Because at the rest area thirty-six people from Brightness Bus Tours and other restroom area guests were going in and out of the restrooms. So the Brightness group saw something. They had to. They saw other people, but the people I questioned thus far say they saw nothing. That can’t be. So why didn’t they say, I saw so and so walking to the bus ahead of me, or I saw so and so go into the restroom as I was leaving, or so and so walked out of the restroom with me. They didn’t say anything like this.”

  “Perhaps, your question to them meant what did they see other than people.”

  “Perhaps, but I got the feeling some of them were going out of their way to make sure I understood that they didn’t see anyone or anything. Do you know why I worded the question the way I did? It’s because I didn’t want to ask leading questions.”

  “Okay, I see your point.”

  “This whole investigation is progressing illogically compared to my other cases.”

  Gam shook his head, then said, “It doesn’t appear to be progressing at all if your pieces don’t fit each other.”

  “Not true. Some pieces fit together, but those two or three pieces don’t connect to anything else.”

  “So what does this tell you? Are you stalled?”

  “I wouldn’t say stalled, more hindered by the lack of my ability to see yet where the pieces connect.”

  “Hmm, interesting foresight. Something is twirling in your mind. I can see it. What is it?”

  “I’m beginning to believe that Marjorie Brown, Rebbie Shields, and Gwen Sonnack are the missing pieces of the puzzle. They’re not following the norms of civility.”

  “What! Just because you have made several unreturned phone calls to them, they are now murder suspects?”

  “Wait, hear me out.”

  “Okay, go ahead.”

  “Remember, I’ve met them. I’ve read them. They’re the type to treat people politely even if they don’t like them. I see them behaving in a socially acceptable manner. Trust me. There’s a reason for the unreturned phone calls.”

  “Alright, you’ve read them and had a chance to study them. You do that well, so I accept your assessment. However, I don’t see how murder fits in. Nothing you’ve told me about the case implicates these three women. You’ve given me bits and pieces. Why don’t you start from the beginning? Let’s walk through this thing. Then by the time we get to Serenity, we can put it aside and enjoy our long, sought-after weekend.”

  “Okay, I hear you. You don’t want my case to interfere with our weekend. I promise I won’t let it. Are you sure you want to walk through it with me?”

  “I do. Proceed ahead.”

  “Okay, you asked for it. Here it goes. There are several indisputable details. The main one is Duffy was shot seven times in the chest inside the rest area maintenance room.”

  “Tell me again the time of night the murder took place.”

  “Between 8:16 pm and 9:01 pm. We arrived at the rest area at 8:16 pm. After using the restrooms, Lemmonee and all the passengers were back at the bus by 9:01 pm. Duffy’s body wasn’t found until 9:55 pm. So you could postulate he was murdered between 8:16 pm and 9:55 pm.”

  “What does the police report say?”

  “He was murdered between 8:16 pm and 9:01 pm. And I think this is an indisputable detail. He couldn’t come back to the bus between those times because he was already dead. I think this time frame is of utmost importance. Everyone on the bus could have committed the murder.”

  “Hmm,” Gam said as he drove in silence. I had proffered an unbreakable scenario for him to consider, or he was formulating a rebuttal.

  “There is another scenario I considered surrounding the time frame. If Duffy’s murder took place after 9:01 pm, then Joe McClain and Holt Pruitt, Jr. could be considered suspects. They left the bus to look for him around 9:11 pm- 9:13 pm, somewhere around there. They returned to the bus around 9:20 pm or thereabout. Forensics people didn’t even consider this, though. They had good reasons.”

  “Yeah, they did. There’s a big difference between a body that’s been dead for thirty-five minutes or so and a body that’s been dead for an hour and forty minutes or so. Plus, if your scenario was true, where was Duffy? What was he doing all that time away from the bus?”

  “My thoughts exactly. He knew better than to leave his passengers alone for any extended amount of time. He was responsible for our safety just like Lemmonee was,” I explained.

  “Another thing, where Joe and Holt Junior are concerned, a murderer would not be that obvious. If the murder occurred after 9:01 pm, Joe and Holt would be obvious suspects. They wouldn’t have taken a chance like that, uh, go murder Duffy, then get back on the bus. Everyone on the bus saw them leave. They definitely would be considered suspects,” Gam explained.

  “Agreed. None of the male passengers I’ve spoken to remember seeing Duffy in the men’s room.”

  “So it’s possible he never made it to the men’s room. Since he was the last to leave the bus, someone could have grabbed him soon after he locked the bus door. It was foggy and misty, hard for anyone to see anything. He could’ve been dragged to the back of the building. Terrible murder, terrible night,” Gam said wearily.

  “That’s been rehashed several times. The maintenance room does not have a back door, only a front door between the ladies’ and the men’s restrooms. There is a large trash dumpster in the back of the building. And there is a small room where recyclables are kept until the pickup day.”

  “Is that room big enough to hold a body?”

  “Yes, but contained no evidence of Duffy having been there, uh, no blood, nothing. Plus, if someone shot him there, why move him to the maintenance room? Moving him presents another opportunity to be seen.”

  “Plus, forensic can tell if a body has been moved,” Gam said.

  “So I wholeheartedly agree that the murder took place in the maintenance room at the time the police report states. The murderer was one of the passengers or was waiting at the rest area for Duffy. In either case, it was a planned murder.”

  Shaking his head in wonderment, Gam said, “If this is true, it will be the first time in my many years working for the Sheriff’s Office that I’ve heard of a planned murder at a rest area.”

  “There’s a reason why the murder was committed there. I don’t know it yet, but I will.”

  “Some days in my job, I wish I had more of your optimism.”

  “I’m not always in a glass-half-full mood, as you very well know. So moving on, all the passengers, including me, were sequestered on
the bus. The state police questioned all of us. What information they ascertained is unknown to me. I assumed they didn’t get much because a suspect has yet to be arrested, and they are using the TV media to gain leads.”

  “From what I’ve heard, they don’t have a suspect. This is open information that has already been disclosed,” Gam said.

  “So moving right along, the big question is, why was Duffy murdered?”

  “This is where the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders come in?” Gam asked.

  “Correct, amigo.”

  “I assume you could not come up with any other theory for the murder.”

  “That is also correct. Since I can’t walk into the state police and ask for their theory and another theory for his murder has not surfaced, the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders is it.”

  “It’s odd that Diantha Lloyd’s murderer has not been caught. There are so many cold cases in Virginia that need to be solved,” Gam said contemplatively.”

  “I know, I know. It’s a shame that Diantha is still one of them. Anyway, remember it was Jackson who made me aware of Duffy’s connection to the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders. So deep down somewhere in his soul, Jackson may believe Duffy murdered Diantha,” I explained.

  “Or he was just doing due diligence, making the investigator he hired aware of all the facts. This way once you found out about the murders, you could not come back to him and ask why you didn’t tell me about this.”

  I countered with, “Or he is protecting his youngest sibling, Lanta.”

  “Hmm, from what you’ve told me, I don’t believe so. You have no evidence. You said Lanta was now in her early seventies, and she was in love with Ms. Lacecap’s brother more than fifty some years ago. That was before the murders occurred.”

  “Yeah, I know. According to Jackson, she has kept in contact with him.”

  “Vett, that’s not unusual. People who grew up with one another, people who went to elementary school, and people who went to college together do keep in contact with one another.”

  “You may be right. I’ll keep her on the sideline. One detail, though, regarding the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders that has me in a bit of a quandary is people’s reaction to the murders.”