by S F Bose
Sam looked grumpy. “Let’s admit it, for the moment we just have to wait. God, I hate waiting.”
“I do too. Look, I know you won’t like this, but I’m going out to Cross Plains to give Mom and Ben an update. Do you want to come?”
Sam grimaced. “You’re right, I don’t like it. It’s too early. We don’t know if Jimmy is on the run or going to help his sister with some emergency. We don’t even know if he owns a Sig Sauer P226. Your mom and Ben will just jump to conclusions.”
“I know, I know,” I replied. I stood up and paced back and forth in. Then I stopped and looked at Sam. “But my gut tells me he’s on the run.”
Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Okay let’s say Jimmy is on the run. Maybe it’s because he’s afraid Mr. B will find out about the loan he gave to Justin. Or maybe he’s afraid that the police will question Mr. B about the gambling system and Mr. B will blame him for that. Plausible reasons that don’t make him Justin’s killer.”
I fell into a guest chair and stared at Sam. “There’s no reason either of those things will ever happen.”
“But Jimmy Dietz doesn’t know that. And even if he was at the Emporium later than he said, nobody reported gunshots. I don’t think he had a silencer with him that day or any plan to kill Justin. He just wanted to get his money back and tried to scare Justin.”
I ran that around in my head for a bit and a light bulb went off. “Maybe Jimmy had a kit with him,” I said.
“Kit?”
I nodded and sat forward, eyes locked with Sam’s eyes. “Jimmy was Mr. B’s muscle for anybody late on their loan payments. He may have had a bag of things he brought with him when he met those gamblers.”
“Like what? He’s a big guy and carries a gun. That’s intimidating enough.”
“He could have a bag with a spare gun, clips, gloves, a sap, brass knuckles, a silencer, and other stuff. Everything he’d need to deal with different people he wanted to scare. It’s possible,” I said sharply when I saw Sam make a face. He looked down.
“Okay, it’s possible. But there’s no proof he had a bag like that.”
“Not yet, at least. However, it’s possible that Jimmy had a bag like that with him. When things escalated with Justin, maybe Jimmy lost it. Or maybe he just wanted to scare Justin even more. So he got his silencer from his bag, screwed it on his gun, and ended up shooting Justin. He recovered two of the spent cartridges and then left for Madison as fast as he could.”
“And the thirty grand Justin owed him?” Sam asked, standing up.
“It was a crime of passion, Sam, not an exercise in logic.”
Sam folded his arms and frowned. “I still think you should wait on updating your mom and Ben, Liz. At least until we hear back from Newmont on what Jimmy’s sister had to say.”
I stood and stretched. “I’ll think about it on the drive to Cross Plains. I just want to give Mom and Ben an update before someone in the gossip crew gets to them. Don’t worry.”
Sam’s frown told me he was still worried but I dug in my heels and left for Cross Plains.
Chapter 40
I did mull over Sam’s advice as I drove through the dark night to Cross Plains. I decided to take a measured approach. While I felt Jimmy Dietz had skipped out and was connected to Justin’s death, I didn’t have solid evidence. I also reminded myself that I had developed a plausible scenario for Mark Sweet being the killer, but again had no hard evidence.
When Mom answered the door, she looked worried but welcomed me with a smile. Mom usually greeted the world with a simultaneous frown and smile. Hedging her bets, I guessed.
“Liz, come in out of the cold. Is everything all right?” she asked. Ben came down the stairs wearing a short-sleeved tee shirt and paint-stained jeans.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“Let’s sit down,” I said, taking off my gloves and unzipping my parka. “I just wanted to give you an update.”
Ben and I went into the dining room and sat across from each other at the table. He watched me but stayed mute.
“Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?” Mom asked, poised to hurry to the kitchen.
“Nothing for me, Mom. Please sit down. She sat in the chair next to Ben. They both stared at me.
“Okay, one of the men the police were going to bring in for questioning, appears to have flown the coop. It’s possible that he may have gone west to deal with some family emergency. So we can’t jump to any conclusions,” I cautioned. “The other thing is that his alibi for the day of the murder seems to be off.”
I could almost see their brains processing this information. Then they both smiled at the same time. Mom pumped her fists in the air and Ben grinned like a happy Santa Claus.
“I knew you could do it, Liz. I knew it!” Mom said. Then she reached her hand across the table and grasped my hand. “Thank you so much, sweetie. This has been such a nightmare.” When she squeezed my hand, I squeezed back.
I felt a rising panic. “Time out!” I said loudly and they both looked at me, surprise on their faces.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. “Okay this doesn’t mean this guy killed Justin. He’s a person of interest for a number of reasons. We have to wait and see if the police can locate him or talk to his family. All right?” I asked looking back and forth between the two of them.
“What made him a person of interest?” Mom asked. When I hesitated, she said, “We won’t say anything. However, we have hired you and paid for information.” Her eyes narrowed to flinty slits and her mouth compressed into a thin line. I knew that look.
She had a point. She and Ben were our clients. I narrowed my eyes. “You swear you won’t say anything about this to any of your…contacts?”
Mom put her hands in her lap, leaned forward, and said, “I swear I will not share the information.”
I sat back and looked at her sternly. “Hands on the table, Mom. I know you’re crossing your fingers.” Mom actually looked sheepish and put her hands on the table. When she was quiet, I raised my eyebrows.
“All right, all right!” she said. “I swear I won’t say anything to anyone about whatever you tell us.”
I cut my eyes to Ben whose hands were already flat on the wooden table.
“I promise too,” he said quietly.
I exhaled. “All right then. This man is a person of interest, in part because we know he spoke to Justin at the Emporium the day he was murdered. He was upset with Justin for a reason I will not share with you. They then had an altercation.”
Mom raised her hand and slammed it down on the table. Both Ben and I flinched.
“He did it!” Mom exclaimed. “He was at the Emporium the day of the murder. He was upset with Justin. There’s a problem with his alibi and he’s gone missing! What part of that doesn’t scream ‘Guilty as sin?’ ”
“He may be missing for a good reason, Mom. We’ll learn more tomorrow. We won’t know if he’s a viable suspect until the police find him and question him. I will say this, though. He looks much better on paper as a suspect than Ben does. And one of our goals is to give Chief Durand suspects with better motives to have killed Justin,” I said.
They looked at each other beaming. Mom and Ben kissed and there was more fist pumping. I averted my eyes.
“Was it Jimmy Dietz or Eddie Klein?” asked Mom.
I sat back. “I can’t say, Mom. I can tell you that we have another person who’s also a better suspect than Ben, in my opinion. He just lawyered up.”
“Mark Sweet,” Ben and Mom said simultaneously.
I started to ask how they knew that and just waved my hand. It was their gossip group.
“The first suspect is Jimmy Dietz, isn’t it?” Mom asked. I looked down to avoid her eyes.
“Can’t say, Mom.”
Mom smiled. “It is.” She leaned forward to stare into my eyes. “I can read you like a book, Liz. It’s Jimmy Dietz who’s on the run.”
“We don’t know that, Mom. He could be helping
his family.” I immediately realized my error.
“Gotcha,” Ben said quietly and chuckled. “She does that to me all the time.” Mom chuckled too.
“Not a word,” I said to her and she nodded.
“Any other news?” Ben asked.
“No. We’ve talked to Justin’s friends to get a better idea of his life and what might have led to the murder. It’s still a puzzle, so don’t even ask me. Chief Durand is also waiting for ballistics results. That’s where we’re at.”
“I knew you could do it, Liz. Family is always more persistent than the police,” Mom said, smiling.
“Remember, we don’t have conclusive evidence on anyone yet,” I warned.
“What does your heart tell you about Jimmy Dietz? Do you think he could have done it?” asked Ben.
“My heart?” I looked at him in surprise. His dark eyes considered me seriously. I thought about his question. “Ben, I don’t want to get your hopes up because this could all blow up tomorrow.”
“I’d just like your gut feeling,” he replied.
I hesitated. “I do think he could have done it. He had the means, a motive, and an opportunity. There are also timing issues with his alibi. So he moved to the top of my list as a suspect. However, there’s no hard evidence yet.”
Ben nodded. “I’ll take it. Between Jimmy Dietz and Mark Sweet I’m looking like a saint.” Mom laughed happily and kissed him on his cheek.
“Now we need to lock Jimmy Dietz down as the murderer and completely clear your name,” she said, looking at Ben with obvious love.
“Well, I have to get home. We’ll keep you posted,” I said, getting up and moving toward the door.
“Thank you!” they chorused as I walked away.
“Bye now,” I replied, zipping and snapping my parka. Mom caught up with me at the door.
I turned when I heard her say, “Liz.” I was four inches taller than Mom, but she seemed even shorter than her five feet two inches. Her face was red and her eyes wet with tears. Without a word, she reached up, wrapped her arms around my neck, and hugged me. Speechless, I bent and hugged her back.
“I’m so proud of you, Liz,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”
“Oh, Mom, thank you. I love you too. Remember now we still need more evidence on Dietz.”
“I know. But we’re closer now than we were before and it’s because of you.”
We parted quickly. Both of us were unused to such open emotion. I was happy with Mom’s reaction and floated back to my car. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I closed the door and looked back at the small farmhouse. I could see Mom and Ben embracing through a window. Christmas lights twinkled on the porch and a light snow fell.
I sniffled and tears welled up in my yes. Gripping Lulu’s steering wheel, I broke into quiet sobs. Growing up in a large family, warmth and praise from my mother had always been sparse. To receive both at the same moment was overwhelming. After several moments, I regained control and started the car. After a last look at the farmhouse, I drove home.
Chapter 41
The next morning I pushed into the office to the “ding-dong” of the door chime. I was late and grumpy. Suddenly, a wave of electrified energy washed over me. It was my spidey sense on steroids. The door was unlocked but the reception area was dark. I quickly pulled out my Glock 19 from my hip holster.
“Sam?” I called.
“In here,” Sam yelled from his office.
I hurried in and found him sitting behind his desk, talking on his cellphone. He looked safe and normal. Sam’s eyebrows shot up at the sight of the Glock. I holstered my gun and took a few deep breaths to slow my heart rate. What had caused that electrified alert?
Sam pointed at a cup of Farmhouse Café coffee sitting on his desk. I mouthed “thank you.” After tossing my bag and parka on the spare chair, I picked up the cup. Sitting in my usual chair, I sipped the coffee and glanced at my watch. 10:00 a.m. Sam’s eyes were on me as he listened to the person on the other end of the line.
Still rattled, I looked down at the coffee. I focused on slow, deep breathing.
“Okay,” Sam said. “Right. Keep us in the loop.” Then he hung up.
“Newmont?” I asked.
“No, Matt Durand.” Then he pursed his lips. “First, why did you come in with your gun drawn?”
“The door was open but the front lights were off. I got a bad feeling.” I took a sip of coffee.
“Okay. Scared the crap out of me. Don’t ever do that again.”
“Sorry,” I replied, but didn’t feel any remorse. I had to trust my gut, even if it seemed increasingly unreliable. “What did Matt say? Have they found Dietz?”
Sam frowned. “He had a lot of news. Newmont contacted Dietz’s sister last night. She hasn’t talked to Jimmy in over a month and denied there was a family emergency of any sort.”
“So he did lie.” I watched Sam. Something was off.
“Yes and the situation with Jimmy Dietz has escalated.”
“What happened?”
Sam dunked and squeezed a tea bag in his cup and took a sip. “A deputy sheriff near Dodgeville saw a car exit Governor Dodge State Park shortly after dawn. The car headed east on Route 18 toward Fitchburg. He recognized the vehicle from the BOLO and called it in.”
I was surprised. “So Dietz never left the area?”
“No. He must have been hiding out. It was a fluke that the deputy saw him leaving the state park. Instead of waiting for backup, he flashed his lights and pulled Dietz’s car over. As the deputy sheriff approached with his gun drawn, Dietz came out of the car with his hands up. Then he feigned illness and dropped to the ground,”
I watched it unfold in my head as if it was a movie. “He waited until the deputy was closer, rolled over, and shot him. Did the deputy have a vest on?”
Sam grimaced. “No vest.”
“Where was he hit?”
“Left shoulder and right hip. After he was shot, the deputy hit the ground and was knocked unconscious. Jimmy Dietz left him bleeding on the highway and drove away.
“Did the deputy get off any shots?
“No. Dietz took him totally by surprise.”
“Will the deputy be okay?” I asked, wondering if that was why my spidey sense had gone into high alert.
“I don’t know. He regained consciousness in the ambulance and related what happened. They took him to the hospital and into surgery. Matt said he’d call when he heard anything.” I looked at him more closely. His voice was tight and had quavered.
“Was it someone you knew?”
Sam shook his head. “No. It just pisses me off.”
I understood Sam’s anger. Years ago, he had been a deputy sheriff and probably still felt close to all deputies in the field. It was like being in the military.
“I can’t believe Jimmy Dietz shot a deputy sheriff,” I said.
Sam scowled. “He’s a coward. He’s also in panic mode.”
I suddenly thought of something. “Sam, if Jimmy was headed for Fitchburg, he might be going to Eddie Klein’s house!”
Sam smiled faintly and traced the rim of his cup of tea. “That’s what I told Matt. They’re on their way there now. He’ll call back once he has news.”
“I hate waiting,” I said.
Sam nodded. “I know. I do too.”
***
Newmont called from Eddie’s house at noon. They’d been there for close to an hour, but Eddie refused to talk to them. He threatened to demand his lawyer if they pressed him. Now, he wanted to talk to Sam and me.
“Why us?” I asked as we ran down the stairs to the Jeep.
“We may be the lesser of two evils,” Sam replied.
We didn’t talk on the drive to Fitchburg. We were both lost in our thoughts and there was nothing to say.
Sam parked up the street from Eddie’s house. County Sheriff and Mystic Grove police cruisers lined up in front of Eddie’s house. Newmont leaned against his patrol car and nodded when he saw us. We f
ollowed him into the house.
Flip, the Golden Irish dog, ran to me and then to Sam. Sam must have smelled better because Flip became his shadow. Newmont led us into the living room. Eddie sat on a gray couch, his head down, wringing his hands. Matt sat at the other end of the couch. Three deputy sheriffs stood near the doorway, staring bullets at Eddie. Newmont dropped behind us and we walked further into the room. I noticed a broken table lamp and some books and magazines on the floor next to one easy chair.
“Hey Eddie,” Sam said. Eddie’s head snapped up and he looked relieved.
“Thank God,” he said. Then he looked at Matt. “I need to talk to them alone.”
“We can’t do that, Eddie,” Matt said, glancing at us.
Eddie sat back. “Am I under arrest for anything?”
“You know you’re not. We just want to know anything you can tell us about Jimmy Dietz,” Matt replied, standing up.
Eddie jutted his chin out. “I’ll tell you what I know after I talk to them…in private.” He cut a look to us and back to Matt. Matt glared at us. We just looked back at him and waited.
Finally, Matt shouted, “Everybody out.” Then he said to Newmont in a more hushed voice, “I’ll watch the front door. You take the back.”
Newmont drawled, “Patio door?”
Matt swore and talked to one of the deputies as they all piled out the front entrance and slammed the door. I glanced at the patio door. When a deputy sheriff took up position facing it, I walked over and closed the drapes. The deputy gave me a sour look.
I walked back and sat in one of the easy chairs facing Eddie. Sam dropped into the other easy chair. The house was chilly, so we both kept our parkas on.
“What’s going on, Eddie?” I asked.
Eddie looked behind him before leaning toward us, elbows on his knees.
“Jimmy was here this morning. He had a gun. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
I decided recording the conversation would freak Eddie out, so I kept my phone in my pocket. “Like what?” I asked.
“He was hyper and paranoid. He acted like he was using drugs or something, but I don’t think he was. He was just over the edge. He paced back and forth and looked like hell.”