“Wallis was really proud of his guitars.” Joe sighed. “He was always showing off about having one from Zany Motts, signed too. But that was Wallis, always boasting about himself, his house, his wife, his guitars. It hit him really hard when Karen left. He spent three months getting drunk and talking about her. Man, he was such a great player, though, that we didn’t mind all his boasting. He was kind too, though he’d always let you know you owed him if he helped you out.”
“Oh, that kind of kind.” Dr. Neil sighed. “The I’ll be nice to you but you better thank me and praise me a long time after. No, that’s not true kindness, I feel. Though I’m an old-fashioned man, and I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”
“Plenty of people here who are,” Joe said, getting a bit quieter. “There’s men whose wives he slept with. Like Luke Taggart there, he’s the owner of Luke’s sporting goods up in Maple Street. Luke looks downright gleeful. He’s only sorry he didn’t kill Wallis himself, I think.”
“Maybe he did, though,” Nora said, her voice dropping.
“Maybe,” Joe said, looking startled at this. “I don’t know. I don’t want to accuse anybody.”
“Joe, you were with Wallis when the rock show ended,” Nora said. “After the set, what happened? Shouldn’t you all have been partying together?”
Joe looked a little ashamed. “We were,” he said.
“So you might be among the last people to see him alive?” Nora asked.
“I was the last person to see him alive,” Joe said. He looked furtively at Dr. Neil. Then, looking back at Nora, he said, “I want you both to promise you won’t say a thing. Especially to the cops.”
They both nodded.
“The truth is, he and I and the boys… we were… in the bus, getting a little drunk,” Joe said. “Well, a lot more than just drunk, but I won’t tell tales. Us rock stars need energy.”
Drugs? Nora thought, feeling disgusted.
Seeing her look, Joe said, “It was harmless. We knew we had another set coming up after the fireworks. Nothing that’d knock us out. Anyway, Harvey and that girl of his came into the bus, and Harvey lost it.”
“Harvey fought with him?” Nora asked.
“Fought? Harvey was furious enough to throw all our stash down the toilet,” Joe said. “He yelled at Wallis that this was the kind of behavior that would make Sean win. He threatened to call the cops. Wallis was a little out of it, and he began yelling back at Harvey. He said Harvey knew nothing about the kind of pressure he was under, and that Harvey was just a pretty little rich boy with his pretty little rich girl,” Joe said.
“What happened then?” Nora asked.
“Harvey grabbed him by the collar and asked him to apologize,” Joe said. “Wallis refused. He grabbed his guitar and said, ‘Harvey, the only reason I ain’t breaking this guitar over your head is because my Daddy gave it to me, and it once belonged to Zany Motts himself. I’m a rock star, Harvey. I’m no piddling small town sheriff. Maybe I should just quit. Who’d contest your election then, you little smug rat? I’ll be living the life in LA and you’ll be down here alone, Sean still lording over you.’”
“Wow,” Nora said.
“Yeah, it was quite a scene.” Joe said. “But you know Harvey. He’d calmed down by then. You could see he was still furious on the inside, though, you know? He almost looked amused. He turned to Wallis and said, “That’s fine by me. You go ahead, go ahead. And who’ll look after your family here, Wallis? Or are you okay with abandoning her? That’s why you wanted to be sheriff, isn’t it? For justice to your family?”
“What?” Nora looked confused. “What justice? What was Harvey talking about? Wallis doesn’t have family here. His wife left him, he had no kids, and his parents are deceased, aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” Joe said. “Maybe he was, but… well, that’s what Harvey said, and it wiped the smile off Wallis’ face, let me tell you. After that, Wallis picked up his guitar and went outside for a smoke, and Harvey was so angry, he just bolted. It was real awkward. Harvey’s girlfriend, that cute out-of-town girl, she tried to go after him, but Harvey had run off ahead and mixed with the crowd before she could catch him.”
“Wait, but did you tell any of this to the detectives?” Nora asked. “About the fight and all?”
“We-e-ll.” Joe looked a little sheepish. “See the thing is, Monty, from the band, he’s been in trouble over drugs before. We didn’t want… well, the police wouldn’t be too kind if they saw what we were doing. So we stayed silent about it then. After that it just felt awkward to bring it up. Besides, we saw Harvey run off into the crowd. No way he did it. Right?”
“Right,” Dr. Neil said, still pale.
Nora was watching Dr. Neil, whose teeth were bared in a smile that seemed almost feral. Sweat had gathered on his brow. What had happened to him? He had been fine all along, and now he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Dr. Neil, do you need a chair?” Nora asked. As a man in his mid-to-late sixties, she wondered if the stress of the atmosphere had gotten to him.
“I’m all right, my dear.” Dr. Neil said. “But I’d better head back home now. Give Mrs. Mullally my compliments, will you? I’ll be around your house for some of her excellent chamomile tea soon.”
“She’ll be delighted.” Nora smiled. “I’ll make some of that Blackberry pie you like so much, too.”
“Oh, I’m not allowed much more than a small bite at my age,” Dr. Neil said, “so I’ll only have about two of those pies.”
Joe laughed. “You ought to sell those pies, Nora,” he said. “I’ve heard all about them from Sean. He used to make us jealous with his rhapsodies about your food.”
Nora blushed. “Well, it’s all in a day’s work.”
“Where’s Sean, by the way?” Joe asked. “Haven’t seen him around.”
“Here,” Sean said, appearing at the top of the stairs. “Must have eaten something wrong for breakfast.” He smiled. “How are you holding up, Joe? Everything all right? I know losing him has been hard on you.”
“It is what it is.” Joe shrugged. “I knew him a long time, and I still can’t quite believe he’s gone.”
“It’s hard,” Sean said, putting a hand on Joe’s shoulder. After a few more minutes of conversation, he added, “Well, I suppose Nora and I had better get going too, Joe.”
Joe nodded and gave Nora a look, a look that seemed to plead with her not to tell Sean anything that he had told her.
Nora gave Joe a slight nod, as Sean took her arm.
She allowed him to lead her to his car, as she didn’t want to make a scene, what with people around them. As soon as they had closed the doors of the car, she turned on him, her face red with anger.
“How long?” she asked. “How long have you and Karen been seeing each other, Sean?”
*****
Chapter 21
“What?!” Sean’s instant reaction was to deny it. He shook his head and held his hands up, but Nora caught the fleeting look of anger and fear on his face, and she knew. She knew that he had been the man with Karen when Nora had overheard their conversation.
“How long?” she asked, again.
“It’s not like you think,” Sean said. “Karen and I aren’t exactly--”
“I heard everything,” Nora said, icily. “There’s no need to hide any more, Sean.”
Sean let out a deep breath. “I suppose,” he said. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and began reversing the car. “Will you at least allow me to drive us out of here before I tell you my side of the story?” he asked. “The last thing I want is to cause a scene here. I don’t want to disrespect Wallis.”
“Disrespect him?” Nora laughed. “That’s a hoot. Where did all this respect go when you were seeing his wife, Sean?”
Sean weaved his way through the cars that crowded the street and then gunned the engine. “Nora, you can think what you like, but I always respected him. Besides, they were already separated when I started seeing Karen.”
“Oh sure,” Nora scoffed. “Why did you get together with her, Sean? Were you insecure that he’d beat you in the elections? Was this your twisted way of getting back at him for standing against you?”
“It had nothing to do with the elections,” Sean burst out, his voice hoarse. “Nothing!”
“So what was it?” she asked.
“I fell in love with her, all right?” Sean said. “I fell in love with Karen. There, I said it.”
Nora didn’t know what to say. She’d been right. All along, Harvey had been jealous of Sean, and she’d defended herself, telling Harvey that she felt nothing for Sean, and he felt nothing for her. The entire town had been convinced that the two had a mild flirtation going on, but Nora had always felt… nothing. She’d had no right to, of course, but she’d begun to believe that Sean liked her after she broke up with Harvey. She’d actually been wary, wondering whether it was right that she was spending so much time around him, then, when Harvey had moved on she’d decided to move on, too. Even if her heart wasn’t in it.
“You hung around me all the time,” she said, out loud. “You came around to fix things in Mrs. Mullally’s house.”
“Nora,” Sean said. “If this is about us--”
“There is no us,” Nora said, decisively.
“Don’t say that,” Sean protested. “We are friends, aren’t we?”
“I’ll say what I please, Sean,” Nora said. “You used me, didn’t you? You didn’t want the town to ask questions about you and Karen, so you used me as a decoy. You fanned rumors all around town that you and I had a thing going. Just so that no one would suspect who you were really with.”
“All right,” Sean said. “All right, I’ll admit it. That’s exactly what I did. But so what? So what, Nora? You did the same thing. You used me. You hung out with me only to make Harvey jealous, and to stop people from thinking you were still broken hearted about him. Which you are.”
“That’s not true,” Nora said, stung.
“Oh please,” Sean said. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. I admit I used that too. I hate Harvey anyway for the way he treated my father. And I let people think that I hated him because I was jealous.”
“Harvey was your father’s son,” Nora said. “Your father refused to recognize him, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“We won’t talk about that,” Sean said, in a voice so cold that Nora shrank back in her seat. “You understand me, Nora? You won’t take my father’s name again, in connection with Harvey.”
Nora opened her mouth to say something, but Sean interrupted her. “I did like you, you know,” he said. “Initially. When you came back to town. When I was investigating Raquel’s murder. I felt protective of you. I became friends with you, even. I like to think I still am. I never promised you anything, Nora. I never did anything improper with you. Why can’t you and I go on being friends?”
“Because,” Nora didn’t know what to say. “Because I can’t be used as a decoy anymore.”
“All right,” Sean said. “But what does that mean anyway? Are you planning to tell the whole town about me and Karen?”
Nora didn’t know what to say.
“I know this sounds foolish,” Sean said. “But the truth is, everything I’ve done is to protect Karen. If you tell people now that we’re together, can’t you imagine how much pain that will put her through? She’s been through enough, Nora, I promise you that. Wallis was a terrible husband. He used to cheat on her all the time. He’s hit her more than once when he was drunk.”
“Sean Dracon, always the white knight,” Nora said.
“Call it what you will. I first talked to Karen when she came to the station with a black eye,” Sean said. “I told her what I tell any woman in that position, to file charges, and to leave,” he shook his head. “But Karen, it’s stupid, but part of Karen was attracted to the destructive side of Wallis. Maybe it was because of how messed up her own family was, but I don’t want to go into that. Anyway, she refused to file, but I always kept an eye out for her from then on. We got to talking. We … became friends. There’s a vulnerability to her, you know. A vulnerability and a hidden strength. I’ve never met a woman like her.” He took a deep breath.
“Still,” Nora said. “Alan Bridges was right all along. You didn’t deserve to be handling the case.”
“No,” Sean admitted. “It’s why I gave up so eagerly. Do you think I’d have given up without a fight if I felt like I had a chance to solve it? I arrested Ricky, but after a night of questioning, I thought he was innocent.”
“Did you think Karen did it?” Nora asked. “Is that why you were eager to give up your badge temporarily, and let the other detectives solve the case?”
Sean shook his head. “I know Karen hasn’t done it,” he said. “But I had to let the others handle the case. Even if I made the right arrest, the court could have called it a mistrial after they found out about me and Karen,” Sean said. “Maybe even before.”
“Why are you so sure?” Nora asked. “That she hasn’t done it, I mean? Surely, she’s a strong candidate? You said it yourself, the first person to be suspected is always a spouse.”
“Karen didn’t do it,” Sean said. “Because she was with me.” He parked the car, pulling up the handbrake. “Do you understand?” He turned around to face her.
“What are you saying?” Nora asked, horrified.
“Nora…”
“You were injured,” Nora said, her voice blank. “You had blood running down your forehead. You didn’t remember a thing.”
Sean hung his head. “We found the body together,” he said.
“But then, how did you…” Nora shook her head. “You what?!” she said, nearly shouting. “Sean, do you know how unethical--”
“We found the body together,” Sean said. “She and I had met in the woods behind the fair. We were… you know. We decided to go into the shed to get closer and we stumbled on Wallis’ body.”
“No,” Nora said, horrified.
“I took her out of the shed immediately,” Sean said. “She was hyperventilating. She was a wreck. I knew she hadn’t done it, and I didn’t want her questioned.” He shook his head and buried it in his hands. “Oh, I know how it sounds, Nora. I know you think I’m being a dishonest, and dirty cop. I know you think I don’t deserve my badge. But I can’t explain it to you. I can’t explain how I feel about her. She deserves more. She’s had a bad life and I want to protect her. She’s fragile.”
“No,” Nora said, angry. “She’s not fragile, Sean. You’re the one who is fragile, about her. The woman I saw at the funeral today was strong. She would have handled it, and you would have been telling the truth.”
“I didn’t care,” Sean said. “That’s how much I love her. I was willing to, am willing to, sacrifice everything I have, and everything I am, just for her.”
“What then?” Nora asked. “Did you come up with the plan to fake the injury?”
“Fake it?” Sean asked. “No! How could you even think that?”
“But your story was false,” Nora said.
“I told the truth,” Sean said. “I just omitted some details. Karen and I stumbled on the body. It was on the floor of the shed. Immediately, I checked for a pulse, realized he was dead, and I took her outside. We didn’t even know it was Wallis then. It was too dark in the shed.”
“Then what happened?”
“Karen was freaking out, so I told her to collect herself and run back into the crowd. I told her not to tell anyone she’d been with me, or what she’d seen,” he said. “I swear, Nora, that’s how it happened. Then I went back inside the shed and someone hit me on the head, just like I told you all.”
“You mean…” Nora gasped. “You mean that whoever committed the crime was in the shed when you and Karen discovered the body?”
“Yes,” Sean said grimly. “The murderer was hiding in there all along. Brave, and foolish.”
There was a tap on the door as Se
an said this, and Nora started, turning around. Harvey and Milly stood outside the car, peering in.
*****
Chapter 22
“We were wondering if you’ve had a … a breakdown of some sort?” Milly said when Nora rolled down the window.
“Oh, we’re fine,” Sean said, throwing a hand around Nora’s seat. “We were just… talking.” He laughed at the last word and managed to look slightly embarrassed.
Milly’s eye gleamed. “Oh, all right then. I told Harvey not to disturb you but he insisted.”
“Right,” Harvey said, his eyes fixed on Nora. “You can go on... talking.”
Sean gave him a defiant look. “Thanks for the offer for help, Harvey, but we’re doing fine. Nora doesn’t need rescuing right now.”
“Actually, we were stopped because I’m going to walk the rest of the way home,” Nora said. “There’s a shortcut through the woods here, and it's only a mile away.” Giving Sean a glare, she got out and shut the car door.
“Nora.” Harvey was studying her face, his eyes sharp. “Something’s the matter. What is it?”
“Harvey, leave her alone, would you?” Milly said. “She clearly doesn’t want to be bothered.”
But Harvey was barely listening to her, his eyes still locked on Nora’s.
“I’m all right,” Nora insisted and gave him a bright smile.
“Doesn’t seem that way,” Harvey said grimly, shooting Sean a dark look.
“Hey, Harvey, believe it or not, I wanted to talk to you,” Sean said. “Something about Wallis. He didn’t have a legal will, and…”
Harvey went over to talk to Sean, and Nora found herself walking away into the woods. To her surprise, Milly followed her.
“Can I help you?” Nora asked, surprised.
“Yes.” Milly said. “You can. You can help me by… by not trying to steal Harvey away.”
“Steal Harvey away,” Nora repeated blankly.
“Oh, come on. Do you think Harvey would ever stop the car to help a breakdown if he didn’t think you were in there? The minute he sees you around Sean, he goes into his caveman phase.” Milly mocked him. “Durr. I’m a Jealous Neanderthal. I’ll kick Sean’s ass for looking at my girl.”
The Milburn Big Box Set Page 27