Sequestered with the Murderers

by Dr. Sandra Tanner

  “When do you move to Florida?” Gam asked.

  “In July if everything goes as planned,” Cutty said

  “That soon,” Gam said.

  “Son, there is no reason to put it off. We want to do this,” Cutty said.

  Sensing another confrontation between Gam and Cutty, I said, “Rachel, we don’t have any plans for the Memorial Day holiday, do we Gam?”

  “No, Baby, we don’t,” Gam answered.

  “What do you want us to bring?” I asked.

  “I’ll get back to you on that. I don’t have the menu quite planned yet,” Rachel replied.

  “Okay, that’s fine,” I said.

  “Gam, how are those handsome grandsons of mine? I have not heard from them in a while,” Rachel said.

  “Mom, Trevor and Ethan are fine. Give them a call. They asked about you and Daddy last week.”

  “I will do that,” Rachel said.

  “What about Uncle Rob. What’s going to happen to him,” Gam asked. Uncle Rob is Rachel’s mentally challenged younger brother who she visits several times a month. She has looked after him ever since their mother died in a car accident when Rachel was thirty and Rob was twenty-eight. They never knew their father.

  “He will be fine. He will continue to live where he is. You know he loves living at that home. I will talk to him at least once a month by phone. Nothing will change regarding his care.”

  “Hmm,” Gam scoffed.

  “Gam, what does that mean?” Rachel asked.

  “Nothing, Mom. I’m sure Junior will handle any issues that may arrive concerning Uncle Rob.”

  Cutty completely ignored Gam’s snide remark.

  While Rachel stared at Gam in disdain, I squeezed his hand again. Gail walked to the table with a pitcher of water and refilled our water glasses. She walked away without saying anything. I’m sure she sensed the hostility in the air. In a few moments, she was back with refills of soda and iced tea.

  “I hope you are saving room for dessert,” Gail said.

  Rachel was now looking down at the table. “I would like to order dessert now. May I have a slice of the pineapple cake? I understand it was prepared especially for me,” she said, looking up and smiling widely at Gail.

  “I’ll have a slice, too,” I said.

  “Make that three slices,” Gam said.

  “Don’t leave me out. I’ll have a slice, too. Make it four,” Cutty said.

  “Would anyone like coffee?” Gail asked? We all ordered coffee.

  While we waited for dessert and coffee, a busboy came by and cleaned the table.

  “Vett, Gam said your trip to Serenity was amazing,” Rachel said.

  “It was. It was so relaxing, and the place is so beautiful,” I said.

  “Where is your next vacation going to take you?” Rachel asked.

  “We’re talking about going to Italy,” I said.

  “That will be nice.”

  While Rachel and I discussed my excitement at visiting Italy, Gam and Cutty retreated into their corners and said nothing. After the dessert and coffee were delivered, Rachel was the first to taste the cake.

  “Mmm, this is so good. Please tell Clove I said the cake is delicious,” Rachel said.

  “I will. She loves it when people provide wonderful feedback,” I said.

  “Vett, tell me about your current case. Gam says you have not solved it yet.”

  “Not yet. But I will. It’s complicated, but when it is solved, I believe I will have solved two cases.”

  “Oh, really,” Rachel said.

  I provided a quick summary of Duffy’s murder and the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders. I gave her an overview of my suspects and reasons for suspecting them.

  “Now I just need to narrow it down to the murderer.”

  “Seems like they all did it,” Rachel said in afterthought. As soon as she finished her sentence, a sinking feeling began to take over my stomach. A sense of foreboding quickly overcame me. I knew what was happening. I knew it was nothing to be afraid of and that the sensation would only last a few seconds. A revelation was coming through to me. A power beyond me directed me to pay close attention to what Rachel just said. Rachel didn’t know this. All she could understand and see was my body trembling and me clutching my stomach.

  “Vett, what’s wrong?” Rachel asked.

  When I didn’t answer, Gam put his arms around me and asked, “Vett, are you okay. Is a revelation coming through to you?”

  I looked at him and nodded my head. A few seconds later, I was able to speak. “Yeah, I just had a revelation. I was directed to pay close attention to what you said, Rachel. That’s all. I am all right now. When this happens, God is telling me to listen and not speak.”

  Rachel and Cutty looked at me with fright written all over their faces.

  “I’m okay. I really am.”

  “What did I say that you need to pay close attention to?” Rachel asked.

  “You said, ‘Seems like they all did it.’ This is a clue, a piece of the puzzle for me.”

  “Well, I’m glad I could be of help. Do you go through what you just went through every time you get a revelation,” Rachel asked.

  It took me ten minutes to explain to Rachel how I receive revelations. During that time, everything about the murder fell into place. After my explanation, I was ready to go home. I needed time alone to comprehend fully what I now knew was the truth. What I didn’t know was where Marjorie and Rebbie were. I had no idea where to look for them, but I knew who to ask for help. I now knew who murdered Duffy, why he was murdered, and how he was murdered.

  “Baby, what does what Mom said reveal to you?” Gam asked after I had finished explaining how I receive revelations.

  I knew, but I was not ready to tell anyone yet.

  “It’s all coming together. I need to work out a few more details. I will have the answer tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER 26

  My night last night was a particularly vexing one. The dinner ended on a sour note. After the check was delivered, Gam picked it up.

  “Gam, I can pay for the meal. It was your mother and I who invited you and Vett,” Cutty said.

  “Daddy, I don’t mind paying,” Gam said.

  “Boy, don’t be so hard-headed. Give me the check,” Cutty said.

  Cutty paid the check, then he and Rachel left. We barely said good-bye to each other. Gam walked me to my office to get my bag. He then walked me to my Jeep. He drove home like a maniac with me following him.

  Once home, he said, “I know you want to talk about this. But I need to cool down first.”

  Gam went to bed, and I sat at the kitchen table trying to make sense of what my voice had told me and what I now knew. I was dumbfounded, but it all made sense, except for the part Marjorie and Rebbie played in all this. Where are they? After an hour of replaying in my head what I knew about the murder, my inner voice spoke. It said Marjorie and Rebbie are at a place that grows vegetables. What the heck did that mean? I went to bed with visions of fresh vegetables dancing around an empty vegetable garden and talking to me, but I could not understand what was being said.

  On Thursday morning, I was getting out of bed when Gam pulled me back in. I relented and snuggled into him. This was his way of telling me he wanted to talk before I walked on my treadmill. I was eager to get on the treadmill to work out everything that had been shown to me. I was anxious to add the particulars to my vision board.

  “I am sorry I was in such a vile mood last night. I know you wanted to talk, but all I wanted to do was go to bed and sleep it off,” Gam said.

  Now with my body nestled into his, I said quietly, “Apology accepted. I understand.”

  “Mom and Daddy continues to treat Junior better than me, but they don’t see it.”

  “Perhaps, they perceive that Junior needs
them more than you do. I’m not saying that you don’t need them. I’m saying perhaps it’s their perception that is blurred.”

  “Parents should treat and love their children equally.”

  “They love you and are proud of you. They may not show it to you the way you want them to, but I see it when they look at you.”

  “Mm-hmm, if you say so.”

  “Gam, they love you, and they love Junior. I think they feel responsible for Junior getting himself involved with a woman that accused him of domestic abuse and for the car accident you said was not his fault. Those things kept him from fulfilling his dream of being a sheriff like Cutty and you.”

  “Well, the abuse charge was his fault. He knew that woman was wild and bad news when he met her. I believe he did hit her to get her off his back physically. But Daddy taught us never to hit a woman.”

  “A good thing he did. So, don’t you see that to them you are the golden child? You have a beautiful, talented, and educated wife. You’ve given them two extraordinary handsome grandsons. You’ve worked your way up to detective investigator in the Sheriff’s Office. You own your own home, have a nice bank account that’s continually growing, and have a pension on the job. You did all that. What does Junior have to show for his fifty-five years on the earth?”

  “I do see your point. He’s had some tough challenges. He’s not married, has no children. This job he has now is the longest he has ever stayed with a job. He lives in a small apartment.”

  “Your parents may feel you have it all, and Junior still has a way to go to reach where you are or where he wants to be. They may think he needs them to help accomplish his plan B since his plan A didn’t work out for him. They may think you don’t need them as much because they see you as having it all.”

  “Mm-hmm, I see your point.”

  “Since you still think they don’t share their affection equally, maybe the four of you should have a heart-to-heart, face-to-face discussion. I think this is a good idea. I’d hate to see you go through the rest of your life with this unequal love discord among the four of you.”

  “I hear you. I will think about it. I do have two handsome sons, don’t I?” Gam said, with a sneer on his face.

  “What about your beautiful wife,” I said, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him.

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot about her,” Gam then threw the pillow aside and smothered me with kisses.

  When he finished, I asked, “Aren’t you going to be late for work?”

  “I’m not going in until 9:00 am. I have a meeting downtown. So I’m going straight to the meeting.”

  “Jackson is expecting a telephone call from me today. I can’t stay in bed. I’ve got to get up and gather my thoughts”.

  “Stay just fifteen minutes more.”

  It was 8:00 am when we both got out of bed. Both our exercise routines would have to wait until tomorrow. We took a quick shower together. Gam dressed and left for his meeting while I fixed a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. I then walked into my office, setting my breakfast on my desk. My vision board caught my eye, and I went directly to it. I had been reviewing it for ten minutes when the phone rang. Thinking it was Detective Rivers returning my call from yesterday, I quickly grabbed the phone.

  “Hello,”

  “Hello, may I speak to Vett Brayborn?”

  “This is she.”

  “Mrs. Brayborn, my name is Luis Lopez. Solardette Wilkes gave me your number. My two daughters are missing. Solardette said you might be able to help us find them.”

  “Mr. Lopez, call me Vett. I’m very sorry to hear your daughters are missing. How long have they been missing?”

  “You can call me Luis. Daria and Carmen have been missing for a month now.”

  “What are the police doing to find them?”

  “They’re trying but haven’t found them. My wife, Josefa, and I are going out of our minds with worry. We go to church with Solardette. She said you’re good at finding people.”

  “Luis, tell me what happened.”

  “It’s in the newspaper. You may have heard about it. They were taking swimming lessons at the Y on Saturdays. It is a six weeks course. Saturday, a month ago, they left the Y and haven’t been seen since. Since Josef and I both work on Saturdays, we allowed them to walk back and forth to the Y. It is only two blocks from our home. Somebody took our little girls. Can you help us?” Luis said tearfully.

  “Yes, I’m sure I can,” I said in earnest. “How many swimming lessons had your daughters taken?” I knew of the Y’s program to teach young people to swim in order to help them be safe around bodies of water. Simone, Dimma’s daughter, had taken the course a few years back. Dimma and I both attended practices with her; it was a good program.

  “Three.”

  “How old are they?”

  “Daria is fourteen, and Carmen is twelve.”

  “Luis, I’ve been busy on another case, so I’ve not read anything about your case. Nevertheless, I will do my best to find your daughters for you. Here’s what I would like for you to do. You and your wife meet me in my restaurant, Vett’s Place, at 9:00 am this coming Saturday morning. Bring me everything you have collected, police reports, newspaper clippings, the Y swimming lesson schedule, pictures of your daughters, and anything else you think I need to see. I’ll be finished with the case I’m working on by Friday. I’ll then be able to concentrate fully on your case.”

  “Thank you, thank you, Vett.”

  “Luis, you are welcome. We’ll find them.”

  “You are a good person. Solardette said so.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do some reading up on your case before we meet. Goodbye for now.” After giving Luis the address to my restaurant and my cell phone number, I sat in quiet reflection. God has sent me another case to solve. This meant I had all the answers to Duffy’s murder. He never sends me another case before the case I’m working on is solved.

  I finished eating my oatmeal and drank the last of my coffee. I then called Aunt Clove and told her I would be at the restaurant around noon. Afterward, I walked to my vision board and began writing. Even though my inner voice had given me the who, the why, and the how, I needed a logical sequence to provide to the authorities. I combined everything I had previously written that required an explanation into one list:

  The 8:16 pm arrival of the bus at the Jefferson Springtop rest area is directly related to the murder. Therefore, the murder was planned. By whom?

  The murderer must have known Duffy’s bus routes and bus rest areas. Is it easy to get this information?

  While at the rest area Joe McClain and Holt Pruitt, Jr. said they were standing outside in the cold, foggy, and misty weather, chitchatting and stretching their legs. Why would someone do that in such horrible weather?

  After the sequestering, on the way home, Solardette Wilkes heard Marjorie Brown whisper to Carolyn Broadbent and Gwen Sonnack, “Where is the gun now?” Why would she say this?

  Several people mentioned that Duffy drank too much, was a womanizer, and was not well-liked. Is this true?

  Lanta Oakmoor, in her youth, dated Ms. Lacecap’s brother. They were hot and heavy back then. Though married, she still maintains a close relationship with him. It is rumored she slept with other Black men as well. How does this fit into the case?

  Marjorie, Rebbie, Carolyn, and Gwen all live in the same zip code in Envyton County but appeared not to know each other. Yet, Marjorie was overheard asking Carolyn and Gwen, “Where is the gun now?” Do they not know one another?

  Duffy wanted a baby, but it appears his wife Nancy did not. Is this important?

  I saw Nancy embracing and giving a man a passionate kiss. Is this relevant?

  Nancy doesn’t like Jackson. She thinks he may cheat her out of Duffy’s insurance money. Why does she believe this?

  Marjorie doesn’t li
ve on the street she gave Brightness Bus Tours as her residence address. Why would she give them an incorrect address?

  My inner voice told me Joe and Holt Junior had a specific purpose for standing outside in the horrible weather. What was it?

  My inner voice told me they were not standing outside by themselves, yet no one saw them standing out there. What does this mean?

  My inner voice said Gwen was involved with the murder. Is this the reason she committed suicide?

  My inner voice said the name of Angeline is essential to the case. How so?

  I’ve concluded that Ms. Lacecap had a secret on Holt, Sr. What is the secret?

  I read what I had written several times, then formulated answers in my mind. I needed to talk it out with someone. Gam was in a meeting, and Dimma had told me she was meeting with the mayor this morning. Aunt Clove came to mind. It was now 11:00 am. Using my phone camera, I took a picture of what I had written. I dressed, then drove to work.

  Aunt Clove was a willing participant. She came into my restaurant office with a pot of coffee, hot biscuits, and various little jars of jellies.

  “I figured you are not ready for lunch yet. So I brought with me a little snack,” Aunt Clove said.

  After setting everything on my office table, I poured a cup of coffee and buttered two biscuits, then added strawberry jelly. I then said, “I’m going to walk through how the murder of Duffy Radley occurred. I want you to walk through it with me and ask questions. I’ll then go back to pertinent evidence and play devil’s advocate to make sure I’m not missing anything.”

  “This is good. I can ask questions,” Aunt Clove said, clearly excited at being a part of my winding down the case. “First, can you tell me about Duffy’s character?”

  This isn’t the way I want things to go. I want to ask the questions, then get her feedback and questions. Since she was excited, I let it slide. I had no one else at this juncture to run my findings by. I answered her question.

  “His good sense of humor stood out. He was a loyal and dependable employee. Some people said he drank too much and when drinking was a mean son-of-gun. He loved his wife and provided for her. He engaged in things she wanted to do. He didn’t go to church. I found nothing to say that he was a dishonest man. He loved people, and Brightness passengers loved him back. And I would say he had a spirit of resilience. He had to with the type of job he had.”