by B R Snow
“Northern California would probably work,” I said, giving it some serious thought. “Or maybe Hawaii.”
She nodded and panned the horizon of the property.
“Can I ask you a question, Abigail?” I said.
“I guess. You’ve come a long way, so I the least I can do is answer a question,” she said, shrugging.
“Do you have any idea who might have killed them?”
She exhaled audibly and fought back another round of tears.
“I have my ideas,” she said. “I could never prove it, but, when you boil it all down, the dog business is what killed my sister and her husband.”
“I’m not really following that thread, Abigail,” I said.
“All that success, but it was never enough,” she said. “Everybody always wanted more. In the end, does it really matter who was driving that car?”
“Actually, I think it does matter, Abigail,” I said. “At a minimum, it matters from a justice standpoint.”
“Justice?” she said, scuffing the brown grass with the tip of her boot. “Will dispensing justice bring them back?”
“No, it won’t,” I said. “Nothing is going to do that.”
“Then it sounds like justice falls into the same category of other things that won’t bring them back. Right next to sympathy, grief, and fond memories.”
“It’s hard to argue with that,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” she said, staring at me.
She exhaled again, wiped her eyes, and draped Alexandra’s bag over her shoulder.
“Thank you for bringing the bag,” she said. “But if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for a meeting with my realtor.”
“Of course,” I said.
“It was nice meeting you, Suzy. Alexandra had some wonderful things to say about you and your partner. What was her name?”
“Josie.”
“Yes, Josie. The beauty queen vet,” she said. “Chief Abrams, it was very nice meeting you as well.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” he said. “Good luck wherever you end up.”
“One can only hope,” she said, giving us a small wave and turning her back as she began to stroll back toward the house.
“Take care of yourself,” I said. “Alexandra.”
Alexandra froze in her tracks, then turned and stared at me.
“When did you know?” she said, continuing to stare at me in disbelief.
“I’ve had a pretty good idea since I learned the Fetch and Tug deal closed over a month ago,” I said. “But I wasn’t convinced until I saw the thermal underwear poking out your sleeve. It’s actually a clever way to look heavier than you are. Are you wearing two pairs?”
“Three,” she whispered.
“I think I understand the financial pressure your husband’s business decisions put you in, but how does a woman who is as genuinely nice, as sweet as you are, have the ability to run two people down like that?”
Alexandra casually reached behind her back. I doubted if it was to scratch an itch. Chief Abrams noticed it as well.
“Don’t make things worse, Alexandra,” he said, drawing his gun.
She held up both hands, and Chief Abrams approached her and removed the gun. He entered a text message into his phone and moments later, four policemen approached from different directions carrying rifles.
“To answer your question, Suzy,” Alexandra said. “What I experienced that night was what I believe psychiatrists call an episode of sub-psychotic rage. And I have to say that it was oddly pleasurable.”
“You’ll excuse me if I can’t quite get my head around that idea, Alexandra,” I said.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand it. You’ve never had family members do anything close to what those two did to me.”
“You’re right. I haven’t. You knew your husband and your sister were the ones behind the botched dognapping.”
“Of course,” she said, nodding. “It was part of our plan.”
“Why would you use those two idiots to steal the dogs? Couldn’t you have just hidden them on your own?””
“That was my husband’s idea. He wanted a third-party involved that could be blamed. And those two were the perfect idiots. Apart from the stealing the wrong dogs of course.”
“You were going to steal them, relocate them to a safe place, maybe here, and then report them missing and collect on the insurance policy.”
“Yes, all the endorsement money was drying up, and it was time to retire Lucky and Lucy as show dogs. As you’ve obviously figured out, my husband’s business skills were somewhat lacking. By the time I realized that we were already incredibly overextended.”
The policemen reached the four corners of the fence, and the dogs barked then trotted off to greet them. Chief Abrams held a hand up asking them to wait. The cops rested their rifles on the fence railing and said hello to the dogs while keeping a close eye on what was happening inside the fence.
“And your sister?” I said.
“Abigail was also in serious debt,” Alexandra said. “She came to us to ask for a loan to keep the horse farm afloat, and we explained to her our own situation. Then we started talking and came up with a plan that was going to solve all our problems.”
Alexandra let loose with a crazy cackle.
“Then your husband and sister started sleeping together,” I said.
“At some point, yes,” she said, tearing up again.
“But everything changed with your partnership when they tried to drop that box on you the day of the dog show, right?”
“It did.”
“And you were the one who warned them not to try to steal the dogs from the Inn that night weren’t you?”
“I was.”
“I knew they were in that storage area,” I whispered.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said, refocusing. “You couldn’t take the risk of them getting arrested.”
“No. After it had become clear they planned to kill me, I decided that it would be better to postpone stealing Lucky and Lucy. If they had been arrested, I was worried about what they might tell the police. They probably had a cover story blaming me for all of it.”
“So you just decided to wait a week,” I said.
“Yes, I did.”
“And that’s why you didn’t feel the need to hire any security to protect you,” I said.
“You don’t forget a thing, do you, Suzy?”
“I have my moments. You knew their next attempt wouldn’t happen until the next show.”
“I wasn’t sure, but I figured they would want to talk with me first. You know, try to convince me the box falling was an accident, get me to relax and drop my guard before they tried again.”
“The three of you met at the hotel in Boston, then they headed off to have dinner.”
“Yes, we had an argument, and I told them I had to prepare for the dog show and stormed out of the room in a huff. Then I went straight to my rental car and…well, you know the rest.”
“But not before you switched wallets with your sister,” I said.
“Of course,” she said. “And not before I also called to report my rental car as stolen.”
“It was a very good plan,” I said. “I’m impressed.”
“That’s what I thought,” she said. “And apart from some pointed questions from the insurance companies, nobody has batted an eye. Except for you, of course. I’m the one who should be impressed, Suzy.”
“Thanks. It’s kind of a hobby.”
Chief Abrams snorted.
“The owner of the specimen clinic that was robbed is listed as AHA Industries,” Chief Abrams said.
“How on earth did you find that out?” she said, baffled.
“I’ve got friends in the FBI,” he said. “It took a while. Eventually, they tracked it down in the Cayman Islands.”
“Yes, we were vacationing down there a few years ago, and it seemed like the perfect place to register the company.
The people down there were most accommodating. For the right price, of course.”
“I’m going down there in a couple of weeks on vacation,” I said.
“You’ll love it,” Alexandra said. “It’s gorgeous.”
“I’m sure I’ll burn,” I said. “I don’t tan, I stroke.”
“You’ll excuse me if I don’t have much sympathy for your vacation sunburn, Suzy.”
“Sure, sure. AHA Industries is an acronym, isn’t it? Alexandra, Harold, and Abigail.”
“Yes.”
“And the clinic?” I said, sending a text message of my own.
“What about it?” Alexandra said.
“You were stealing show dogs and getting samples from the males then breeding them with the females?”
“Yes, it was an elaborate scheme my husband came up with. I hated the idea, but we were in so much trouble financially. We didn’t do a lot of breeding, though. It was primarily done so we could build the semen inventory as quickly as possible.”
“The policy was written to cover individual samples so the bigger the inventory, the bigger the payout,” I said.
“It added up in a hurry,” she said, beaten.
“How much were you going to walk away with?” Chief Abrams said.
“Between the insurance policy on Lucky and Lucy and the clinic, about four million,” she said, shrugging.
“I guess stealing from yourself is a lot easier than robbing other people,” he said.
“I’m no longer quite so sure about that, Chief Abrams.”
“Where are all the dogs you stole?” I said.
“They’re at my daughter’s place in the Adirondacks,” she said.
“You got your daughter involved in all of this?” I said, staring at her.
“Yes, and my son as well.”
“Geez, that’s despicable, Alexandra,” I said, my spirits dropping another couple of notches.
“You don’t have to tell me that, Suzy. Things just started spiraling out of control.”
“What a mess,” I said. “And you’re probably still trying to figure out you managed to end up in this spot.”
“I am,” she said, softly. “But I imagine I’ll have lots of quiet time to figure it out.”
“What about the life insurance on you and your husband?” he said.
“That was supposed to go to my children,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But they won’t be getting that now, will they?”
“I seriously doubt it, Alexandra,” he said. “Maybe your husband’s policy will pay off if you can spin a good enough story to the insurance company.”
“Do your kids know you were the one who killed them?” I said.
“No. But I’m sure they will soon.”
She sat down on the grass and started sobbing uncontrollably. Lucky and Lucy left the policemen and bounded toward her. They nuzzled her neck, and she wrapped her arms around them tightly.
I stared down at them and choked back the lump forming in my throat.
“There’s no way out of this, is there?” she said, without looking up from the dogs.
“If this was just an insurance scam, you might get off a lot easier,” Chief Abrams said. “But we’re talking about a double murder here.”
“They had it coming,” she whispered.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he said. “Maybe it will help you get through some of those long nights in prison.”
A black SUV with tinted windows roared up the driveway. Everyone turned to look at it and soon Jessica Talbot and Jerry the Cameraman emerged from the vehicle.
“Is that the reporter who covered your dog show?” Alexandra said.
“That’s her,” I said, waving at Jessica.
“What the heck is she doing here?” Chief Abrams said.
“I called her,” I said, shrugging.
“Why on earth did you do that?” he said, staring at me.
“Well, ever since we did everything we could to make her miserable the whole time she was in Clay Bay, I’ve needed to find a way to make it up to her. You know, try to do something nice for her.”
“I get it,” Chief Abrams said. “So, it’s kind of a Karma thing, right?”
“No, actually, it’s more of a mom thing.”
Chapter 28
Chief Abrams nodded at the four policemen, and they came through the gate and surrounded Alexandra who was still hugging both of her Goldens. Seeming to sense the final goodbye nature of the interaction, the cops hung back and let the scene play itself out. Chief Abrams shook hands with one of the four then turned to me.
“Suzy, I’d like you to meet Chief Art Solomon,” Chief Abrams said. “Art, this is Suzy.”
We shook hands, and he studied my face.
“You’re the one with all the dogs, right?” Chief Solomon said.
“Yeah, we have a bunch,” I said, shrugging.
“We’ve got two at home,” he said. “A poodle and a Doberman. That’s more than enough. How do you find the time to solve crimes?”
“I manage somehow,” I said. “And I think I might be a bit obsessed.”
“So I hear,” he said, smiling.
“Have you been talking to my mother?” I said. “Look, I need to go speak with the woman heading our way, then I was wondering if you could give her a few minutes with Alexandra before you take her away?”
The two chiefs glanced at each other before Chief Solomon nodded his okay. I headed down the driveway to meet Jessica and Jerry.
“Hi, folks,” I said. “Thanks for coming. How are you, Jessica?”
“Hello, Suzy,” Jessica said, giving me a cold stare. “Why am I here?”
“Because of Alexandra Vincent,” I said. “Hi, Jerry.”
“Hey, Suzy,” he said, smiling.
“Alexandra Vincent?” Jessica said, frowning. “The woman who judged the dog show?”
“Yes.”
“You dragged me out here to do another dog story?” Jessica said. “What on earth is the matter with you?”
“There are a lot of theories floating around about that,” I said. “But this isn’t a dog story.”
“Then what is it?” she snapped.
I took a few deep breaths and fought back the urge to punch her in the nose.
“If you can put your fangs away for a few minutes and just listen I think you’ll understand.”
Jessica nodded, and I started talking. When I finished recounting the Cliff Notes version five minutes later, she was not only listening intently but appeared to be salivating. I stopped talking and slid my hands into my jacket to keep them warm as the wind whipped. Jessica’s hair fluttered in the breeze, but it always seemed to settle back in place when the gusts subsided.
“How do you get your hair to do that?” I said, baffled.
“Do what?” Jessica said, even more baffled by my question.
“Never mind,” I said. “So, do you think this is a story?”
“You’re joking, right?” Jessica said, laughing. “This could win me a Pulitzer.”
“I know you’ve been looking for human interest stories that might soften your reputation, and I thought you might be able to tell Alexandra’s story from her perspective. A very nice person who feels trapped and ends up losing everything.”
“So, now you’re a producer as well?” Jessica said, going for incredulous but landing on smug.
I so wanted to smack her in the nose.
“No, I would never assume anything like that,” I said. “It just seems like it has the potential to be a great human interest story.”
“It has the potential to be a lot of stories,” she said, glancing at Alexandra who was still hugging her dogs tight. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you call me with it? Every journalist on the planet would kill for this story.”
I scuffed the driveway with the tip of my shoe.
“My mother kind of made me do it,” I said, embarrassed.
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“Your mother? How quaint,” Jessica said, laughing.
“Yeah, I figured that was the reaction you’d have,” I said. “It’s complicated.”
“Oh, please, do tell,” she said, almost taunting me.
“Well, my mother taught me that it’s always better to have somebody who owes you a favor than it is to make them an enemy with revenge on their mind.”
“And you think that I’m now going to owe you a favor?”
“No, I’ll be more than happy to call this one a draw, Jessica. I heard that the network executives still weren’t sure about bringing you to New York. And I thought this might help.”
Jessica stared at me like I was a creature from outer space.
“You have to be the strangest woman I’ve ever met,” she said, eventually.
“Yeah, I get that a lot. So what do you say?”
“I say I’m in,” she said, turning all business. “Jerry, get some panoramic shots of the property while I go talk with the woman. When you’re done, join me. We’ll probably have to do most of the interviews from prison, but that should work really well with the new show concept.”
“Got it,” Jerry said, lifting the camera to his shoulder.
“Did you hear that information from Bob?” she said, refocusing on me.
“Indirectly, yes.”
“Bob. What a piece of work,” she said, shaking her head. “He always tried so hard to give me what I wanted.”
“You and Bob are no longer an item?”
“No,” she whispered. “He broke it off.”
“Bob broke up with you?” I said, stunned.
“Yes. Apparently, his heart belongs to someone else,” she said, laughing. “I told him not to worry about a minor detail like that, and that we could still have a lot of fun. But it turns out that Bob is a traditionalist.”
“Who’s the woman?”
“He wouldn’t tell me,” Jessica said. “It doesn’t matter. Apart from being on the other side of the breakup for the first time ever, I’m going to be just fine.”
“I have no doubt, Jessica.”
I made a mental note to have a conversation with my mother.
“I’m moving to New York in a couple of weeks,” she said. “And this is the perfect story for my first show.”