by Abigail Keam
Ding dong.
I smiled triumphantly as I reached for the doorknob and quickly put on my most contemptuous face as I opened the door.
15
“I don’t know why I need to bring you offerings, but obviously I’ve done something heinous, so here you go.” Hunter thrust a large bouquet of red roses and an opened gift box of chocolate bourbon balls at me.
I looked askance at the open box of candy. “You ate your apology?”
“I needed the sugar.” Hunter brushed by me, headed straight for my liquor cabinet, and poured himself three fingers of my best whiskey. “You want to tell me why I’ve been denied an audience with the queen of the realm?”
I threw the gifts on the breakfast island. “Oh, stop the BS. You know why.”
“Because I didn’t run over and kiss your feet at Ferrina’s party? Did it ever occur to you that I was working? Ellen Boudreaux was feeding me a delicious piece of gossip when you did your voodoo death stare at us.”
I jabbed a finger at his face. “First of all, you don’t do detective work. That’s the police’s venue. You make a report based on the information that is given to you by the police department.”
Hunter folded his arms while rolling his eyes.
“Second—you were talking to Ellen, who’s my worst enemy in the world. I told you to steer clear of her, and third—you never asked me to be your plus one to go to Ferrina’s shindig. Everyone thinks we’ve broken up. If we have, you sure didn’t inform me.” I imitated Hunter by folding my arms and rolling my eyes. “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Ah, yeah, that’s already happened to me once before with my jerk of a husband.”
“Yes, Ellen was trying to play me. She always does when we bump into each other.”
“Boy, you are really giving me ammunition to dump your fanny.”
“If you remember, we first met at Sandy Sloan’s house because I was investigating the site of the fire. Hmm, Miss Britches? Nothing to say? I do investigate on my own.”
“That was different,” I said stubbornly.
Hunter unfolded his arms and reached out to me.
I slapped his hand away.
“I didn’t take you because when I’m with you all my attention is on you, and I wouldn’t be able to do my job properly.”
I melted a little. Darn it!
“I was there to hear rumors, gossip, and small nuggets of information. It was quite possible someone there could have known something.”
“You should have explained why you were not taking me. I would have understood.”
“I didn’t think I needed to. I knew for a fact that you weren’t invited and would not be welcomed.”
“How?”
“Ellen called me up and asked me to escort her to the party.”
“And you accepted!”
“Of course not. I told her I might be out of town on that date and to ask someone else.”
I was livid. “See. See. This is what I’m talking about. The little snake. Why can’t she get a man of her own? She’s always after mine.”
“The other reason I didn’t say anything is that I assumed we were not exclusive. You’ve never intimated that you wanted this relationship to go any further than what it is.”
“Don’t blame this misunderstanding on me, buddy.”
Hunter continued, ignoring my last statement, “But since you said and I quote ‘She’s always after mine’ meaning a man and thus me—does that mean you wish to upgrade our status?”
“What are you saying?” I hoped the man didn’t mean marriage.
“Are you dating anyone else?”
“None of your beeswax,” I replied.
“So you don’t want us to be a couple? Then may I ask why you are so upset? If we are both free agents, I can attend any event with or without you. By the way, you never said anything to me about going to Ferrina’s party yourself. You did exactly the same thing I did.”
“I didn’t receive an invitation,” I said smugly. “I was Lady Elsmere’s plus one.”
“But you never mentioned it.”
“I didn’t think you were invited either and didn’t want to hurt your feelings since I was going with June.”
Hunter laughed. “You are such a liar, Josiah. You didn’t want me to know that you were going to Ferrina’s house to pry.”
“Why would I want to?”
“Because you went through Shelby Carpenter’s pockets and saw the newspaper clippings on King.”
“I did no such thing,” I protested.
“My goodness, you’re a piece of work.”
I challenged Hunter. “Let’s say it’s so, how did you come to that conclusion when I said otherwise?”
“I interviewed Veritas Noble. She said she left you alone with the body while she went to the police station for help.”
“Only a block away.”
“It would still give you enough time to search the body. I wonder what the police would find if they got a warrant for your phone? I know you. You have more curiosity than nine cats.”
“Now you’re accusing me of perjury. You’re not endearing yourself to me, Hunter. What is it you really want?”
“What do I really want?” Hunter repeated.
“Is there an echo in here?”
Hunter pulled me over to the couch and pushing me down, sat beside me holding my hand. “I want this fight to end. I want you to stop being jealous of Ellen or any other woman.”
“You don’t have a great track record with women, Hunter. How many times were you married?”
“None of my marriages failed due to infidelity. Ask my ex-wives.”
“What else?”
“I want us to be exclusive.”
I didn’t respond.
“If you are fond of me enough to be jealous, I think we should take our relationship up a notch.”
“You’re an unusual man asking for a commitment. Most men run for the door when the subject is brought up.”
Hunter grinned. “I’m too old to play the dating game, Jo. Maybe I haven’t told you, but I’m rather fond of you.”
“Like you’re fond of a well worn pair of house slippers?”
“You are rather well-worn, my dear.”
“You’re no catch yourself. You’re broke. You don’t have a steady job and what money you make is plowed into your Tobacco Road plantation.”
“Wickliffe Manor, my ancestral home,” Hunter said, correcting me. “I am going to save it, just like you saved the Butterfly. So, my dear, we are two people who understand each other. We connect.”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”
“Not a ‘but.’ It’s an ‘and.’ I want to know what you think about this case with Shelby Carpenter.”
“So that’s what this is really about. You want to pick my brains.”
Hunter said, “I’ve thought of a way for you to tell me what you know without placing yourself in any legal jeopardy.”
Baby interrupted us by dropping a chewed-up squeaky toy in Hunter’s lap, which he wanted Hunter to throw.
Hunter tossed it across the room.
Baby retrieved it and brought the soggy toy back only to drop it again in Hunter’s lap. Looking expectantly at Hunter, Baby wagged his tail, thumping it against the couch.
Scratching Baby behind the ears, Hunter said, “Not now, Baby. Go lie down now. I’ll play with you later.”
Baby sneezed, reclaimed his toy, and lumbered over to his bed. Turning three times, he lay down, happily chewing on his toy.
How could I not care for a man who treated my dog with such respect the way Hunter did? Most people would have pushed Baby away or yelled at him. I asked, “What’s your idea about the Carpenter case?”
Hunter’s eyes lit up. “I’m going to hire you as my consultant. That way you can legally access the file on Carpenter.”
“It would be a conflict of interest. I’m a witness.”
“There’s no law against this in the state of Kentucky.”
“It doesn’t look good. It would mar your reputation.”
“I don’t plan on anyone knowing of our arrangement, but I’m going to have a signed contract with you in case the matter comes up in court.”
“I don’t know, Hunter. It sounds rather dicey and underhanded.”
“Since when did you become so particular?”
I smiled sweetly. “You are stumped on this case, and you want to know what I think.”
“I want both you and your brain.”
“Which puts me in the driver’s seat.”
“Name your terms, Machiavelli.”
“Let’s table the discussion about us for now. We both have a lot on our plates at the moment, and our relationship is something we should discuss when we are in a better frame of mind.”
“I’ll wait until I turn my report in. No longer.”
“Agreed.”
“And the other matter?”
“I’ll sign your contract if you stipulate that you’ll pay for any and all legal fees if I get in Dutch with the DA over working with you on this case.”
“Sounds fair.”
“Good. Good. Now how much are you going to pay me for my little gray cells?” I said, mimicking Hercule Poirot’s Belgium accent.
“One dollar.”
“Tightwad.”
“You’re already on shaky ground, Jo. Everyone working on this case thinks you searched the body. Drake has even suggested that you might have taken evidence. I am giving you a legal way out.”
I didn’t reply because I certainly wasn’t going to incriminate myself.
Hunter scratched his forehead. “This didn’t turn out to be the amorous makeup visit I envisioned.”
“What did you think was going to happen?”
“I thought we would have a little verbal tussle, but in the end you would relent and fall into my arms.”
“And then what?”
“I would kiss you madly and carry you into the bedroom for some heart pounding sex.”
“Oh, you smooth talking devil.”
We both laughed but I could tell Hunter was disappointed. I don’t know why I wasn’t taking him up on his heart pounding sex offer. I guess it was because I hadn’t told him about my bum kidneys, and I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet. I was still praying for a miracle or perhaps I was in denial, but it wasn’t right for Hunter to invest in this relationship without knowing all the facts. Still, I wouldn’t give him up. I knew I should send Hunter on his way, but he was going to have to make that decision once I told him the truth about my health. I didn’t have the moral fiber to do it myself.
Not yet, at least.
16
Several days later, Hunter laid his files on my Nakashima table and pulled out photographs of the crime scene. They were hard to gaze at even though there wasn’t much blood. Still though, to see a man crumpled up in the trunk of someone’s car—was not nice to look at. I winced.
“How can you possibly be squeamish looking at these pics when you saw the real thing?”
“I didn’t like seeing that either. It was terrible to open the trunk and see this poor soul stashed like a sack of potatoes, and it’s quite a jolt to see these photographs spread out on my dining room table as well.”
“Should motivate you to help me.”
“It does.”
Hunter took a deep breath. “Let’s get started. Everything you tell me will be confidential.”
“Unless under oath.”
“That is correct, Jo, but I will keep your involvement under wraps like I do with all my confidential informants.”
“You have snitches?”
“Focus, Josiah. Focus.”
“Has Carpenter’s rental car been discovered?”
“Yes, it was found parked in the long term parking lot at the airport.”
“That would make sense. The killer driver could drop off the car, get a cab at the airport, or walk across the road to Keeneland Race Course. What do the surveillance tapes show?”
Hunter pointed to a blurry picture. “A white male wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap. No identifying clothing or tattoos.”
“Seems young though.”
“How can you tell?”
“I don’t know. Just a sense of how he carries himself.”
“I think he’s young, too. Like you, I sense it.”
“What do the taxi drivers say?”
“It was a busy day. People were flying in for the races at Keeneland. Lots of young men with baseball caps.”
“But I think this fare would take the perp back into town to retrieve his own car. Any fares downtown?”
“Gobs of them. All the hotels downtown were booked.”
“Apparently no one aroused suspicion.”
“And lots of people still pay by cash when riding in taxis.”
I asked, “Did the police photograph the license plates of all the cars in a block radius of the crime scene?”
“They didn’t feel the need to do so at the time. They thought it was a botched robbery attempt.”
“Even with his wallet intact? Sloppy police work.”
Hunter gave me a little satisfied smirk. “So you did search the body?”
“I was surmising. Was his wallet intact with cash and credit cards?”
“Clever, Josiah. You want me to tell you the facts of the case so you can say you made suppositions based on the information I gave you. Okay, I’ll play. Yes, his wallet and money were found on his body.”
“I bet the murderer’s car was parked close by. It had to be if my theory is correct that Carpenter was being followed. All the police had to do was check the other cars.”
I thought for a moment. “Was it confirmed that it was Carpenter’s rental car that hit VeVe’s car?”
“Yes. The police think the perpetrator rammed Carpenter’s car which caused it to damage Noble’s car.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No. No. No. The perp’s car did not cause this. I think Carpenter ran into VeVe’s car by accident. Perhaps Carpenter realized he was being followed and became distracted thus causing the accident. The damage to Carpenter’s car was only on the front, right?”
Hunter quickly perused a report. “Yes, the front on the driver’s side.”
“So for whatever reason, Carpenter became distracted and hit VeVe’s car accidentally, but he feels safe enough to get out and check the damage. Being an honorable man, he leaves money for the repairs but doesn’t leave any contact information because he’s undercover for a story and doesn’t want his presence in town known.”
“Here’s the problem with your hypothesis. If Carpenter thought someone was following him, why not drive on?”
“Maybe he wasn’t positive. Maybe the accident rattled him. Have you read his work?”
“Yep.”
“Then you see that Carpenter was a principled man.”
“Again, that is supposition.” Hunter asked, “What do you think happened?”
“Did it ever occur to you that Carpenter hit Veritas Noble’s car on purpose? Perhaps he did realize he was being followed and felt threatened. He wanted to scare the perp away. What better way to do so than to create a commotion which would cause lots of people to gawk and even get the cops to show up?”
“So he randomly picks a car on a street where there is not much foot traffic? Sorry, but that seems farfetched to me. My distraction theory fits the facts better.”
Hunter made notations on a yellow legal pad.
“Was anything missing from Carpenter’s pockets?”
Flicking some lint off his jacket, Hunter made a face. “As if you didn’t know. The police couldn’t find his phone, and that’s why they thought this murder to be a robbery gone bad at first.”
“It was a robbery but not for money if Carpenter’s wallet was left with cash and credit cards intact.”
“He did have credit cards but we can find no record of him using them in the Bluegrass.”
I s
aid, “Credit cards give away the user’s location. I bet Carpenter used cash when working on a story. No one can track him that way. It explains why he had the money to leave on VeVe’s car.”
“I guess.”
“Everything points to Carpenter’s death having to do with a story he was working on. He would have stored information on his phone. Reporters don’t use pad and pencil anymore.”
“Then why leave the police report and newspaper clippings?”
“Why do you keep asking me questions for which you’ve already developed a hypothesis?” I asked.
“I want to see if you think the same way I do on this case. Come on. Give it up.”
“Have the police found a laptop?”
“Yes, but it was wiped clean.”
“I think everything that happened to Carpenter has to do with a story he was working on.”
“Sure ’nough, but still doesn’t explain why the police report and the newspaper clippings were left behind.”
“Because paper is old school. A young perpetrator wouldn’t have thought to look for such things. These young kids don’t read newspapers. Don’t use phone books or paper maps. They don’t write checks. Don’t write letters. Half of them don’t even know how to address an envelope. They do everything electronically.”
“I agree, which again points to a young assailant. Let’s move on.”
“May I see the police report Carpenter had in his pocket?”
Hunter handed me a copy of the report. He studied me closely as I pretended to study the report.
“Have the police done a background check on the girl mentioned in the report?” I asked.
“Came up with a dead end.”
“They should look closer to home.”
“What do you mean, Jo?”
I pointed to the mug shot. “This girl is Ferrina Landau.”
“Noooo!” Hunter said, grabbing the report out of my hand. He peered closely at the picture. Looking up at me, he said, “I see it now. How could we have missed this?”
“Here’s another odd thing. I ran into King at the party, and he related to me about how he met Ferrina playing blackjack in Las Vegas. He also made a reference to his former wife who died in a car accident. Now that story contradicts what June told me. She stated King married a friend of hers who divorced him.”