Harlan and Sidney stared at Lyle with some surprise.
“He did?” Harlan asked. “What possessed him to do such a thing?”
Lyle chuckled lowly. “It may have had something to do with the idiot leaving his answering machine on while Sam arranged to kidnap Trisha at the library.” Lyle waved the small tape he held between his fingers. “He preferred the kidnapping charge over attempted murder, so he confessed to everything. He knocked Trisha unconscious, and Sam brought the cab around back. He claims he knew nothing about the drugs Sam gave her, and he wasn’t aware that Sam intended to kill her. He claims Sam told him he was just giving her a scare to chase her out of town.”
“What was the reason for wanting Trisha out of the way?” Harlan asked.
“Sam was protecting Billy,” Lyle said simply. “There was circumstantial evidence against Billy in Emily’s murder. Sam was afraid Trisha would reopen the case, and Billy would be framed. Sam had been covering for Billy all these years, but Sam confessed to Denny that Billy wasn’t involved in the murder. They’ve taken Billy in for questioning.” Lyle continued to smile cheaply and clipped his press badge to his shirt. “Come along cameraman,” he announced to Harlan. “We must get first scoop.”
Harlan ran across the room, grabbed his camera bag, and hurried to join Lyle by the motel room door. He turned and looked back at Sidney.
“Wait here until I return,” Harlan announced.
“Can’t I come along?” Sidney demanded to know.
“No, you just wait here,” Harlan replied. “I don’t want you anywhere near Billy Randall.”
Sidney frowned. “Yes, Dad.”
Once they left, she flopped back on the bed and picked up Mrs. Cooper’s purse. Sidney reached for the phone and called the hospital. They wouldn’t report on Mrs. Cooper’s condition, so she asked to speak to Mrs. Cooper’s daughter. Sidney had called her when they took Mrs. Cooper to the hospital from a number she found in her wallet. Her daughter lived nearly two hours away but dropped everything to be with her mother. According to Mrs. Cooper’s daughter, she was recovering from her ordeal and a mild heart attack. Naturally, they would need to do more tests to see if there was any damage to her heart, but she was doing fine. She was somewhat groggy from the medication they gave her, but they expected a full recovery in a couple of days. Sidney reported that she had Mrs. Cooper’s purse, but her daughter wasn’t concerned about retrieving it at the moment and offered to pick it up tomorrow.
Once she hung up the phone with Mrs. Cooper’s daughter, Sidney opened the purse and looked through it, since she had nothing better to do. To her surprise, she saw Mrs. Cooper’s notebook that she usually kept under the sofa cushion. Sidney flipped through the small notebook. She flipped to the back and started with the most current entries starting with the date Sam had died. She read the note written behind the date.
June 3rd: Sam kidnapped Trisha Allister. He tried to kill her in the old, stone house. The house collapsed on him, killing him. Mrs. Randall was very upset. Said she had something very important to tell me about the day Emily Fisher was murdered. Billy interrupted our conversation.
Sidney frowned, realizing that was the moment both women’s fates were sealed. She shifted uncomfortably then looked at the next entry.
June 4th: Spoke with Mrs. Lamont during my early morning walk. Talked about Sam’s death, and how he nearly killed Trisha. We also discussed Denny’s drug problem. Mrs. Randall fell down the stairs and died! I can’t believe Billy would leave her alone in her condition. Why didn’t he call me to watch her? Sheriff Drukard said it was an accident, but I’m not so sure, not after what happened with Sam. I’m going to have a talk with Billy.
June 5th: Ran into Persha on my morning walk. Told me Denny had been arrested last night for breaking into Sam’s Tavern. Discussed the murder of Emily Fisher. She believed Billy had some involvement in her death. Said she saw Billy entering the woods near the school, which would bring him out on Cressman Road just before the stone bridge. Paul Malcolm had a completely different story, but I should see him this afternoon when he comes to the diner during his lunch period.
Sidney stared at the last entry with some confusion. Mrs. Cooper seemed fairly upset when they met outside the diner, yet her last entry didn’t convey much emotion. Something troubled Mrs. Cooper between her morning walk and around eleven when she and Harlan ran into her. Had Mrs. Cooper thought of something? Or had she run into someone? Sidney shot upward in the bed. Her father may have seen something. Sidney jumped off the bed and ran from the motel room.
Chapter Forty-eight
Sidney hurried through town, passed the municipal building, and entered her father’s press. She found her father behind the counter. When he saw her, he leaned on the counter with wide eyes.
“Have you heard? They took Billy in for questioning,” Herb announced almost in disbelief.
“Yes, I heard,” she replied.
He groaned and shook his head. “Thank God they’re finally making some progress.”
“Dad, were you here all day?” she asked.
Her father appeared surprised that she changed the subject so quickly. “Aren’t you happy to hear about Billy?”
“They haven’t convicted him of anything yet,” Sidney replied with little enthusiasm. “Questioning is a long way from being charged with anything. Sheriff Drukard won’t even know where to begin or what questions to ask. Billy will be out in an hour.”
“You’re just a ray of sunshine today,” her father scoffed lowly. “At least it’s something. Why do you want to know if I was here all day?” He then straightened and rearranged the candy bars under the counter.
“You know what happened to Mrs. Cooper this afternoon,” Sidney announced firmly.
Herb nodded and eyed her. “How could I not hear that? Someone nearly kills her, and my own daughter finds her,” he remarked. “Everyone in town has stopped by to report that news. No one seems to know why anyone would want to kill her though. The only one seen leaving the library was that high school kid; Murphy’s boy. I heard that idiot Sheriff Drukard is starting to suspect Harlan’s involvement.” He glared at her and raised an arrogant brow. “You two have a bad timing problem.”
“Did you happen to see Mrs. Cooper talking to anyone earlier today?” Sidney asked, practically ignoring her father’s concerns.
“No, can’t say I did,” he replied while shaking his head. “But I don’t spend all day staring out the window either.”
“I saw her,” came a female voice from nearby.
Sidney spun with alarm and saw Mrs. Lamont approach the desk from the middle aisle. She cradled her collection of women’s magazines in her arms against her chest. Her face was pale and drained of all emotions.
“I saw her talking to Persha. I believe they walked all the way to the school together,” Mrs. Lamont said softly. “It took her a while to come back this way. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was about Mrs. Randall. We had coffee at the diner when she returned. She was writing stuff in that little notebook of hers, but she seemed so distant.” Mrs. Lamont held back her tears. “While driving from town half an hour later, I saw her outside the school at a picnic table with Paul Malcolm. I’ll never know how she got there so fast, but she was there.”
Sidney’s eyes narrowed with a look of confusion. “Malcolm?” she remarked softly. “That’s odd.”
“That’s the same thing Sheriff Drukard said when I told him. He said she’d also talked with Gladys, the waitress from the diner, shortly before the attack. The young girl at the library said she returned her purse,” Mrs. Lamont informed her. “Apparently Mrs. Cooper had left it there this morning. That was very unusual for her to forget her purse anywhere. Like I said, she was unusually distant for some reason.”
Sidney attempted to take in all the new information. It would seem that Mrs. Cooper got around town that morning, talking with nearly every suspect on the list. Mrs. Randall’s death must have stirred something inside the older
woman.
“I appreciate your help,” Sidney announced then hurried from the press without saying goodbye to her father.
Sidney hurried through town in the direction of the motel. She passed the municipal building, saw a crowd gathering, and wondered what was happening there. Had everyone heard about Billy being taken in for questioning? She walked a couple of feet past the building when her arm was grabbed, and she was flung around. She stared into Billy’s angry eyes. Sidney’s mouth fell open, and her eyes widened with surprise.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Billy demanded to know in a low voice.
His hand gripped her arm, causing her some pain. Sidney winced and stared at him, uncertain how to respond.
“This entire time you thought I was the one who killed Emily Fisher?” he lashed out angrily. “I can’t believe you’d even consider something so outrageous. Then to pit Denny against me!”
Apparently, Denny had mentioned her name in his confession. Sidney attempted to pull away from Billy. His grip tightened, causing her to wince in pain.
“They’re going to do an autopsy on my grandmother. You started this, Sidney,” he growled lowly as his eyes burned into hers. “But I’m going to finish it.”
“Get your bloody hands off her,” Harlan growled lowly from nearby.
Billy cast Sidney away from him, allowing her to fall into the grassy area just off the sidewalk. He lunged for Harlan. Harlan cast his camera aside and blocked Billy’s fist. Sidney scrambled to her feet and watched in horror as the two men punched each other. A crowd gathered outside the building to watch the men fight. Harlan tackled Billy to the lawn and punched him several times before he was thrown off. Sidney was actually surprised Harlan was able to hold his own against the much younger, more muscular former football player. Billy dove on top of Harlan and attempted to punch him, but Harlan blocked nearly every blow. Lyle pushed through the crowd and pulled Billy off Harlan. Sheriff Drukard and his deputy appeared and grabbed both Harlan and Billy.
“How about a night in jail to cool your heels,” Drukard announced loudly to both men.
Sheriff Drukard and his deputy escorted both men toward the building. Sidney and Lyle watched helplessly while Harlan and Billy were taken into the municipal building. Lyle grabbed Harlan’s discarded camera and approached Sidney. He turned to stare as the sheriff disappeared inside the building.
“Can he do that?” Lyle asked.
Sidney shrugged and frowned. “It’s accepted for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness,” she replied with a sigh. “He’ll release them in the morning. They’ll probably have to pay a fine of some sort. Usually, the sort that lines his own pockets.”
Lyle rolled his eyes and moaned. “Unbelievable.”
“It’s a small town with no lawyers,” she replied while sighing with defeat. “He gets away with a lot of things that aren’t legal in the civilized world.”
“I’ll work on a plan to get Harlan out of the clink later.” Lyle took her arm and guided her in the direction of the motel. “We need to talk.”
§
Sidney sat on Harlan’s bed while watching Lyle pace and listened while he told her what they’d discovered during their roles as reporters at the municipal building.
“They’re going to perform an autopsy on Mrs. Randall tonight, and they’re also going to search Billy’s house,” Lyle informed her. “They questioned Billy in the sheriff’s office, so I was able to hear most of their conversation through the door from the hallway. Billy stuck to his original story about the day Emily Fisher died. He also claims he had no involvement in Trisha’s kidnapping and attempted murder.” Lyle continued to pace the small motel room. “He claims his grandmother’s death was an accident. Of course, Sheriff Drukard didn’t push the issue any, except the autopsy. If that autopsy shows what we suspected it’d show all along, Billy won’t be questioned further.”
Sidney frowned and shook her head in disbelief. “So questioning Billy gets us absolutely nowhere,” she scoffed. “What do we do now?”
“I’m going back to the jail and see if I can spring Harlan tonight,” Lyle informed her. “I don’t really want to leave him there overnight. Then I’m going to the hospital to keep an eye on Trisha until she’s released tomorrow morning.”
“There’s something I need to discuss with Paul Malcolm. He had a conversation with Mrs. Cooper earlier today,” Sidney announced. “I’d like to know what they talked about. It may have been important.”
“Isn’t he that alcoholic schoolteacher?”
Sidney mechanically nodded. “I might try calling him on the phone.”
“He’s probably at the bar just outside of town by the highway,” Lyle said simply. “It’s a public place. I suppose you could question him there. I’ll give you my cellular phone number. If you run into a problem, you can call me.”
Sidney smiled gently. “Thanks, Lyle.”
Chapter Forty-nine
Sidney entered the barroom located just before the interstate and saw Malcolm leaning on the bar, huddled over his drink. He looked as if he’d been there a while. She approached the bar and took the vacant seat alongside him. It took him several minutes to notice her. He looked at her as if she were the grim reaper then groaned softly and looked back across the bar.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Malcolm said in a drunken tone. “The rumors are sure to start.”
Sidney ordered a rum and cola then focused her attention on Mr. Malcolm. “I thought I might find you here,” she replied. “Had you heard about Mrs. Cooper?”
“Poor Mrs. Cooper,” Malcolm said and shook his head. “A real pain in the ass, but I can’t believe someone would try to kill her.” He then turned on his bar stool to face her, barely able to keep his balance. “Does anyone know how she’s doing?”
“I heard she was doing better,” Sidney replied. “But I don’t think she’s talking yet.”
“It’s ironic. I just spoke to her this morning,” Malcolm said with a soft moan. “She came to the school and forced me out of my class. For a woman who’s usually a fly on the wall, she was very persistent. I don’t think I’d ever seen her in such an aggressive state before.”
Obviously, the strain of what happened to Mrs. Randall, or something she had heard had gotten the older woman riled.
“What did she want to talk to you about?” Sidney asked while studying the drunken man.
“You and Trisha really opened a can of worms,” he said bluntly. “She was asking about Emily’s murder.”
“Really? What did she ask?”
“She was asking about Billy Randall. She wanted to know what time he’d left the school that day,” he replied and suddenly looked at her with a strange realization. “They don’t suspect Billy Randall, do they?”
“I heard Sheriff Drukard took him in for questioning,” she confirmed. “That’s as much as I know. What did she ask about Billy?”
Malcolm shook his head and groaned. “She was interested in which way he went home that day,” he announced. “I told her he went through the woods near the school. I saw him walking past the football field as I was walking toward Sam’s.”
“You’re positive he went the back way to Cressman Road?” she asked with some confusion.
“Sure I’m sure,” he remarked with a stern look. “Why would I lie about something so trivial?”
“Just something Mrs. Cooper said earlier,” Sidney replied. “She thought that you and Ms. Palmer had conflicting stories about the way Billy went home.”
Malcolm’s eyes narrowed. “Persha?” he practically demanded. “How would Persha know which way Billy went home? She left long before Billy and Denny.”
Sidney was confused and attempted to sort out all the information within her head. A strange thought occurred to her. “Had you told Mrs. Cooper that?”
“It came up,” he casually replied. “I was the last teacher to leave school that day. I would’ve been out earlier if it wasn’t for Billy and
Denny misbehaving. Persha was leaving the building as I went back inside after my talk with Emily. I was heading back to my classroom for my jacket when I caught those two smoking in the boy’s bathroom.”
Sidney thought about what he said and stared at his profile. “Which way did Emily Fisher leave school that day?” she asked with great interest.
“Through town,” he replied with little emotion. “She always went through town. She was stopping at the press to drop off her roll of film. You knew that.”
“What about Persha?” she asked. “She walks to school, doesn’t she?”
Malcolm snorted a soft laugh. “Yeah, she walks. She went the back way. She always walks the back way to avoid the snoops,” he remarked then considered the comment. “Of course, back then she was living with her sister in your development.”
Sidney sank deep in thought then turned toward Malcolm and leaned on the bar. Her look was serious. “Was Persha having an affair with Emily Fisher?” she bluntly asked.
Malcolm turned his head and stared at Sidney a long moment with surprise. “An affair? No, I don’t think so.” He chuckled softly. “Although, I suppose Persha liked women even back then. Persha took a liking to Emily, but it was very one-sided.”
Sidney jumped from her stool. “Thanks, Mr. Malcolm. You’ve been a big help.”
“Where’re you going?” he asked with surprise then eyed her drink on the bar that she hadn’t even touched. “Aren’t you going to finish your drink?”
“No,” Sidney replied.
Without asking, he pulled the drink before him.
“I’d like to ask Ms. Palmer a couple of questions before it gets too late,” Sidney informed him. “You don’t happen to know where I might find her this time of evening?”
“I don’t know,” he replied then grinned and chuckled softly. “What time is it?”
“Eight o'clock,” Sidney replied.
“Bowling,” he replied simply without even hesitating. “She belongs to a women’s bowling league. They meet on Fridays. They should be there at the bowling alley by now.”
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