Murder Wins the Game

by Maddie Cochere

  He finally said, “There was a lot of bad blood between Richard and his son.”

  “You think his son murdered him?”

  “I’m not saying that.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “When Mark quit working for his old man, Richard wouldn’t let him take any of his clients. He had to start over from scratch, and he had a hard time getting his business off the ground. They blew through a lot of the wife’s money before he was able to support the family on his own.”

  “Are you thinking Mark’s wife, Libby, killed him?” I shook my head. “I’ve already talked with her. She has an alibi.”

  “I don’t think Mark’s wife killed him.” He grabbed the new drink the bartender had placed on the bar and downed it completely before turning on his stool to leave.

  I placed my hand on his arm to stop him. “Well, who do you think killed him?”

  He stood and rummaged in his pockets for some change. He looked up from the few quarters he managed to find and said, “My money’s on the ex-wife.”

  “Why would she want to kill Richard? She’s still getting alimony checks. Killing Richard kills the checks.”

  He smiled a crooked smile. “Talk to the ex and the new girlfriend. It’ll all come together when you get their stories.” He walked away.

  I left the change from the ten on the bar, grabbed my bag and headed for the door. Greg had stopped at the jukebox. Patsy Cline began singing Crazy again. I heard him call out after me, “Tell that mother of yours I said hello.”

  I climbed back into my truck and pulled the last subpoena out of my bag. William Drucker. Bernie. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be stoned when I showed up. On the other hand, if he was stoned, maybe he would be mellow about being served.

  The address was in an older section of town where many of the homes had been converted into two-family rentals. Bernie’s address indicated he was the B part of the house, so he was either in the back or upstairs.

  As I pulled in front of the house, I saw Mama’s car pull away from the curb in the next block. What was she doing in this part of town?

  It only took a minute before I saw the Jackson Plumbing sign and realized Dave Jackson lived and worked out of the house next to Bernie’s. I couldn’t believe Mama had actually gone to his house to give him grief over his continuing to play the lottery. It was time to have a serious talk with Pepper and Hank and discuss what we were going to do about her.

  I felt as if I should go over, knock on his door, apologize for Mama’s behavior, and assure him we would have her under control soon.

  I couldn’t help smiling. That sounded more like an apology for a bad dog that dug up a flower bed than for a human. Maybe I should buy a leash for Mama and keep her with me during the day.

  The thought sent an uncontrollable shudder through my body. Dave Jackson and an apology could wait.

  I left my bag in the truck and followed a brick path around to the back of Bernie’s house. A worn wooden staircase led to the second floor unit. The mailbox at the bottom of the steps indicated this was the B part of 455 Arch Street.

  I climbed the stairs and rapped on the door. There were no sounds from within. I knocked twice more before accepting he wasn’t home and returning to my truck.

  An apology to Dave Jackson crossed my mind again, but I didn’t want to get out of the truck. There were no fireworks when I pulled up, so it was likely he wasn’t home, and Mama had left without molesting him in some fashion.

  Going back to the office meant more paperwork, and the thought was unappealing. What I really wanted to do was find Glenn and set things straight with him. I knew my attitude would improve once we could resolve this pettiness.

  I headed for home. I could make calls and attempt to find him from there. Then I could run over to Pepper’s and talk to her about Mama.

  I pulled into my driveway, grabbed my bag, and ran down to the mailbox. As usual, there were only bills. I rifled through the weekly ad bundle to be sure nothing important had slipped inside. I didn’t need any more surprises, and suddenly remembering I had to show up for jury duty in the morning only added to my ongoing foul mood.

  A few seconds later, I stared at my front door. It was open a few inches. I pushed it farther and tiptoed inside. My mail and satchel fell to the floor as I felt a scream come into my throat.

  Chapter Six

  The scream caught in my throat. On one hand, I didn’t want to let it out in case the burglar was still in the house. On the other, I highly doubted the burglar was carting around my comfy chair with the refrigerator in the side.

  The scream died and anger flooded in. Why would someone steal my chair? I felt the tips of my ears get hot when I saw my red phone, answering machine, and the antique wooden telephone stand they both sat on were gone as well. My red phone! The foundation of my Two Sisters and a Journalist business. This meant war. I was going to get whoever was behind these burglaries, and they were going to pay.

  I stepped outside and dialed Glenn’s number. It went straight to voice mail. I had no other choice but to call the station and report the burglary.

  “Buxley Police. Winnie here.”

  “Bill, this is Jo Ravens. Someone broke into my house.”

  “Do you know if they’re still inside?”

  “I haven’t checked yet. The front door was open, and when I walked in, I saw my chair and telephone were missing.”

  “Stay outside until we get there. The intruder might be armed.”

  He said we. Who was we? “Is Glenn coming with you?”

  He paused for a moment. “Haven’t you heard?”

  “Heard what?”

  “Glenn’s been suspended for pulling his gun on those kids last night. Listen, Jo, don’t move. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  I was dumbfounded. Glenn suspended? That must have been what Jackie was going to tell me this morning at Kristy’s. He was probably devastated. He prided himself on being the best officer on the force. He always did everything by the book, and Sergeant Rorski considered him his right-hand man. Poor Glenn. As soon as I could talk with him, I’d let him know how sorry I was that I hurt his feelings, and then I’d do my best to soothe his wounded pride - which might involve a negligee.

  It would only take a few minutes for Bill to arrive, but I wasn’t waiting for him. These burglars were long gone with my chair by now.

  I walked through the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Other than the chair, phone, answering machine, and stand nothing was missing or out of … wait a minute. There were dishes in the sink, and I certainly didn’t leave them there. These burglars had the audacity to eat lunch while they were here!

  I yanked open the refrigerator door and saw the leftover casserole Pepper had dropped off this morning was half eaten.

  They stole my chair and ate my food. I was fuming as I stormed up the stairs to see if they had slept in my bed.

  As soon as I hit the hallway, I heard the overhead fan running on high speed in the bedroom. I threw the door back and couldn’t believe the dirtbags were in my bed! My commotion hadn’t caused them to stir at all. I ran down the hall to the murder room and reached under the loveseat for the baseball bat Buck had given to me for protection.

  I didn’t use the room very much now that I spent the majority of my working hours at the office. The whiteboard hadn’t been used for solving crimes since February. I was even more infuriated to see a smiley face drawn on it now.

  I raised the bat and marched down the hallway. Before I could rush into the room and kill whoever was in my bed, Officer Collins called out, “Hold it right there, Jo.”

  I turned and saw he had his gun drawn on me. My mouth fell open in disbelief. Sergeant Rorski was going to hear about this, and Officer Collins was going to be suspended right along with Glenn.

  He moved past me and into the bedroom.

  “Get out of the bed. You’re under arrest,” he shouted.

  With the baseball bat raised above my head, I peer
ed over his shoulder. One of the perps peeked out from under the covers. Officer Collins had his gun pointed at…

  “Glenn!” I shouted. “What are you doing in my bed? And who’s in there with you?”

  A huge grin spread across Officer Collins’ face.

  He sat up and yawned. “I’m sleeping,” he said.

  His confusion was apparent as he glanced about the room. The person buried under the covers beside him seemed to be as much a surprise to him as they were to us. That he had brought another woman into my bed was enough for me to be done with him for good. I lowered the bat and glared at him.

  He pulled the covers back and revealed three pillows beside him.

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot. I grabbed the pillows from the spare room. When I sleep alone, I like to sort of lie on them when I’m falling asleep.” He looked at Officer Collins and me with interest. “What are you two doing here anyway?”

  I couldn’t keep my irritation out of my voice. “How long have you been here?”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost three o’clock.”

  “Then I’ve been here about six hours.”

  He swung his legs over the side of the bed and smiled. For a second, I forgot why I was mad at him. His dark blondish-brown hair was sexy-mussed, his tight abs were enticing, and he looked smokin’ hot in tight boxer briefs. On top of all that, the dimple in his right cheek when he smiled always did something tingly to me.

  Officer Collins cleared his throat.

  Glenn looked at him and said, “Since Jo gave me a key, I know you’re not planning to arrest me for breaking and entering.”

  Officer Winnie came into the room. “The garage, basement, and perimeter of the property are clear. No sign of whoever broke in.”

  “No one broke in,” Glenn told him. “It’s just me. I came here to grab some sleep and see Jo when she got home from work.”

  “Where’s your car?” I asked. “It’s not in the drive.”

  “I dropped it off at Hoofer’s Garage for a tune-up. One of the guys gave me a ride over here. I told them you’d run me back to pick it up before they close.” He looked at us like we weren’t fully understanding his situation. “Listen you guys. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. This is a temporary setback, and when the department runs an investigation, they’ll see I was perfectly within department guidelines to draw my weapon even though they were minors. I’ll be back to work in no time.”

  I shook my head. I no longer cared about his pride – wounded or not. “While you were sleeping, someone broke in and stole my chair, my red phone, and my antique table. And they ate half the casserole Pepper brought over this morning.

  “No, I ate that,” Glenn said. “I thought whatever was in the fridge was fair game. It’s not like you have very much to eat around here, and since you didn’t want my lasagna, there weren’t any leftovers.”

  There it was. He was still irritated about my refusing his lasagna. I left the room and stomped downstairs.

  Pepper was peering through the front door when I burst into the living room. Jackie was pulling into the driveway behind my truck. I could see Officers Winnie and Collins had come in separate vehicles, as there were two police cruisers with lights flashing in the cul-de-sac.

  “What happened over here?” Pepper asked.

  “I’ll tell you when Jackie comes in,” I said.

  “What happened to your chair?”

  “I’ll tell you when Jackie comes in.”

  “Where’s your phone? Your stand? Where’s your answering machine?”

  I ignored her.

  “Were you robbed? Do you think it’s the same people who’ve been robbing houses all over town? I told you not to leave your door unlocked, but you never listen.”

  Jackie stepped through the doorway, and I snapped at Pepper. “The door was locked. I don’t know who was in here, but Glenn was upstairs the entire time, and how he didn’t hear people stealing my stuff is the real mystery.”

  Glenn and the two officers came downstairs. He had pulled on a pair of jeans but only half zipped them. I wanted to smack him for how sexy he looked right now. I noticed a slight smile of appreciation on Jackie’s face, while Pepper’s eyes bugged out of her head at the sight of him. She quickly regained her composure and yelled at him. “How were you upstairs and didn’t hear someone break in and steal Jo’s stuff?”

  Glenn adopted a defensive attitude at the sight of all three of us. “I was sleeping. How do you live across the street and not see a truck pull up and haul Jo’s stuff out of here?”

  Pepper put her hands on her hips and took on her own defensive attitude. “I wasn’t home. I was with Jackie and Jo this morning, and then Jackie and I went to lunch.”

  Officer Collins interrupted and asked Glenn, “Do you want to take Jo’s statement? Bill and I can head back to the station.”

  Glenn walked toward the stairs. He answered with a curt, “Nope.”

  Officer Winnie turned to Officer Collins and said, “You go ahead. I’ll button this up.”

  Officer Collins didn’t need any encouragement. He bolted for the door. Glenn was back downstairs a few seconds later, half dressed and with clothes in hand. He raced out the front door to flag down Officer Collins.

  Good riddance I thought to myself, but why did I also hate to see him leave and feel like I wanted to cry?

  Pepper and Jackie both looked sympathetic and a tad uncomfortable.

  Pepper put her hand on my arm. “I’m going home. Come over later and help me with crafts. We’re having pizza, and I picked up a peach pie from Crump and Crumpets. Neither are on my diet, but every couple of weeks, I give myself a free night to eat whatever I want. It keeps me from binge eating on the good days.”

  I didn’t remind her that she just had lasagna and blueberry pie last night, but her words reminded me that the blueberry pie from Glenn’s trash was still in the back seat of my truck.

  I let out a sigh and nodded to indicate I’d be there. I knew I shouldn’t be eating pizza and pie, but today’s stress level had caused me to lose all willpower.

  “Do you mind if I stick around while Bill takes your statement?” Jackie asked. “I’d like to take notes for the paper.”

  I led them both into the kitchen and asked them to wait while I took a quick look through the house. I wanted to see if anything else was missing.

  After checking all the rooms, it appeared nothing else had been stolen. The thieves probably found Glenn in my bed and hightailed it out of the house. His being here may have kept me from being cleaned out.

  Back in the kitchen, I asked Officer Winnie, “Has anyone else had furniture stolen?”

  “Not at first, but now that the break-ins are happening during the day when people are at work, everything in the house is fair game – refrigerators, washers, dryers, furniture – you name it, they’ll take it.”

  “They have to be using a truck,” Jackie said. “Hasn’t anyone reported seeing items being removed from homes?”

  The officer stared at Jackie as if contemplating whether he wanted to give her any more information. “This isn’t for publication, but we have reports of a U-Haul at two of the robbery locations. In both cases, large items were taken from the house, but no one saw anything. U-Hauls aren’t uncommon around here, so both witnesses weren’t suspicious when they saw the vehicles.”

  Jackie jotted notes in her notebook while I made mental notes to start following U-Hauls when I saw them around town. I was going to catch these guys and get my property back.

  Officer Winnie left to talk with neighbors up and down Clark Street to find out if anyone had seen a U-Haul or anything suspicious. Pepper wasn’t home at the time of my break-in, the Irwins next door worked during the day, and the only other house in the cul-de-sac belonged to Dana Wyler. She was usually home during the day but kept to herself and wasn’t one to be watching our comings and goings. I doubted he would find any helpful information.

  Jackie rea
ched into her purse and pulled out a slip of paper. “Here’s your ticket for the dinner Saturday night. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty, but just in case I’m working on a story and can’t get here on time, you can drive over to Patterson, and I’ll meet you there.”

  The ticket was for the Tri-State Press Awards at the Sheraton Hotel at Patterson Plaza. With my week going so badly, and having to get up early Saturday morning to help Pepper at the farmer’s market, I was going to be miserable Saturday night. I wished I hadn’t told Jackie I would go, but I couldn’t back out now. Besides, I really did want to see her accept her award.

  After Jackie left, I checked the front door. It wasn’t damaged, but I definitely needed to call a locksmith and have a more secure lock put on. If I could get in with a credit card, anyone could. A new lock would take care of the spare key issue with Mama, too.

  I locked the door and slogged upstairs to take a nap before heading over to Pepper’s for the evening. I was mentally exhausted.

  The rumpled bed left me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t believe things had gotten so out of control with Glenn.

  I wrestled the sheets, pillowcases, and comforter from the bed and hauled them to the basement, where I piled them on top of the washing machine. There was no way I was taking a nap in bedding that smelled like Glenn. I wanted to sleep - not lie awake feeling sorry for myself that we were obviously breaking up.

  I put fresh linens on the bed and climbed in. It would feel good to sleep for a few hours.

  Twenty minutes later, I was in the kitchen making coffee. My mind had switched gears within minutes of lying down and was now working overtime, bouncing back and forth between thoughts of Glenn and the criminals who stole my property. Sleep was an impossibility.

  I contemplated watching television, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. I took a cup of coffee upstairs to the murder room and set it on my desk.

  The smiley face on the whiteboard mocked me. I erased the face with as much gusto as I had scratched off lottery tickets for Mama two days ago.