Cozy Suburbs Mystery Box Set

by Lisa B. Thomas

  Rob appeared in the doorway. “Ian, there’s a man here who wants to talk to you. Says it’s important.”

  “Is he a new client?”

  “No, says it’s about an existing case, but he wouldn’t say which one.”

  “Scan him with the metal detector, then send him back.”

  Deena’s eyes widened. She had never thought a law office would have to worry about dangerous people walking through the door.

  “You can never be too careful,” Ian said.

  The man was in his late forties and dressed in jeans and a cheap leather-like jacket. His work boots were muddy, and he was wearing a ball cap. He introduced himself as Duke Hambrick.

  “What can we do for you today?” Ian motioned to the empty chair.

  “I want to make you a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?”

  “I’ll give you information about one of your clients for help with one of mine.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Ian said.

  “Not until you agree and shake on it.” He sneered at Deena. “Does she need to be here?”

  “Yes. I’m a busy man, Mr. Hambrick. I need you to be more specific.”

  “I got information about Travis Wilde and Roscoe Trainor.”

  “Travis Wilde is not my client.”

  “I know. I just came from there. His stiff-suit lawyers wouldn’t even let me in the door. That’s why I’m here. You see, I’m a bounty hunter. I have information about Travis Wilde’s whereabouts the night of the murder that would clear him. Then I could take him back to Houston and collect my fee.”

  Deena felt like she was in the back row of a theatre watching a movie.

  Ian was cool. He stared at the fidgety man. “And what am I going to get in return?”

  “I’ll tell the police what I saw when I was staking out the Wilde house this past Monday night? That’s when your client got arrested for assaulting that girl, right?”

  Deena jumped in. “Why were you watching the house for Travis on Monday night? He was arrested that afternoon?”

  The man shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Yeah, well, I didn’t find out about it ‘til I saw it in the newspaper on Tuesday.”

  “So, you’re not a very good bounty hunter, are you?”

  Ian snickered. “Tell me what you saw, and I’ll consider helping you out. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Fine,” Hambrick grumbled. “I had been parking down the street from the grandmother’s house thinking that’s where Travis would show up next since he’s originally from here. But the woman next door kept coming out and staring at my van, so I had to park over on the next block.”

  “Your van? Is it a white paneled van by chance?” Deena asked.

  “Yeah. How’d you know?” Hambrick looked surprised.

  “Keep going,” Ian said.

  “Anyway, about midnight, I see this car pull up just a ways down the street. This young guy gets out and walks back through the brush to the backyard of the house. Naturally, I think it’s my guy Travis. He starts messing with the window so I move in for a closer look. It was dark, but the moon was bright. The last time I saw my guy, he had a beard. This guy was clean shaven and seemed to be a foot taller.

  “I watched him. He opened the window. Something scared him and he fell back. He got something to stand on and went about halfway through the window again, and then it looked like he was blasted out of there. Glass went flying. That’s when the old woman next door and her dog came out. I high-tailed it to my van and hid. Next thing I heard was tires squealing. The cops went flying past. That’s when they must have picked him up.”

  Deena realized his account exactly matched the story Roscoe told. Maybe Roscoe was innocent. Or maybe he was going back to finish the job like Ian had said.

  “We already know all that,” Ian said. “How’s this information supposed to help my client?”

  “It proves he never went inside the house. He wasn’t there long enough to attack anyone.”

  Ian looked at Deena then back at Hambrick. “The girl was assaulted earlier in the evening. Around seven. Where were you then? Were you watching the house at that time?”

  Hambrick sneered. “A guy’s gotta eat, right?”

  Ian sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “I agree that it sounds like a good alibi for Roscoe, but if I’m going to talk to Travis Wilde’s attorney, you have to tell me what you know about him, too.”

  Hambrick stood up. “If I do that, how do I know you will help me?”

  “Sit down,” Ian said firmly. “You’re just going to have to trust me. If I think your story is believable, I’ll get them to talk to you.” He reached out his hand.

  The man shook it and sat back down. “I was hot on Travis’ trail on Tuesday. Last week, that is. The day the old lady was killed. I wasn’t sure if he knew I was tracking him, but I knew he’d have to stop and sleep some time. I spotted his car at this shabby motel in Galveston. I gave the clerk a twenty to tell me which room he was in. Sure enough, lucky cuss was at the ice machine when he heard me knocking on the door. He took off before I could catch him. So you see, he couldn’t have been in Maycroft killing grandma when he was in Galveston with me.”

  Ian seemed suspicious. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? How do I know you’ll follow through and testify to the police?”

  “Guess it’s your turn to trust me,” he said with a sly grin.

  “Deena, show Mr. Hambrick to the waiting area while I make a call.”

  She had no idea where the waiting area was. Luckily, Amy walked over and led the way to a bank of five chairs near the foyer. Deena wasn’t sure if she should stay with him or not. She waited, thinking Ian would yell for her if he needed her.

  A few minutes later, Ian walked out of his office and over to Hambrick. “I spoke to my colleague at Lyons and Sons. They are expecting you. Do you have a card or a number where I can reach you?”

  The man pulled out a business card and handed it to Ian. They shook hands.

  “Good luck,” Ian said. “We’ll be in touch.”

  They watched him walk out the door, ducking his head through the rain. He got in the same van Deena had seen last week around town.

  Ian shoved his hands in his pockets. “You know what this means, right?”

  “That Travis Wilde might be innocent of killing his grandmother?”

  “And that our client might be guilty of murder.”

  Chapter 27

  Dan sat in his Cadillac down the street from the law offices of Lyons and Sons. He was waiting for Duke Hambrick to come out of the building.

  Dan’s friend at the DMV was able to match the license plate number of the van to the owner and the county where the vehicle was registered.

  After a little digging online, Dan was able to determine the van owner—Duke Hambrick— was a bounty hunter. Since Travis Wilde lived in Houston and had skipped out on his bond, Dan put two and two together to figure out Travis was the guy Hambrick was after.

  Sure enough, a straggly-looking stranger came out of the building and got in the van. All Dan had to do was stay right on his bumper for two blocks to get him to pull over.

  Hambrick stopped at a gas station parking lot and jumped out of his van ready to do battle. Dan carefully watched him approach the car before rolling down his window. “Hey. Dan Carson of the Northeast Texas Tribune.” He held up his identification.

  “A reporter?” Hambrick waved his hand as if swatting away a fly and headed back to his car, now dripping wet.

  “Wait,” Dan said. “I may have some information for you.”

  Hambrick didn’t slow down.

  “There may be some money in it,” Dan yelled just before Hambrick shut his door.

  That got his attention. Dan knew those magic words usually got him the information he wanted. He pulled his car up next to the van.

  Hambrick rolled down his window. “Talk.”

  “I know you’re a bounty hunter, and
I know you’re after Travis Wilde.”

  “So what?”

  “I may have another bail jumper for you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Tell me why you are still in town with Wilde behind bars, and I’ll tell you who it is. I’m just after a story. I have no reason to lie.”

  “Were you the one who wrote the story about the arrest and the assault on that girl?”

  Dan nodded.

  The man looked him over. “How much is the reward?”

  “I honestly have no idea.” Dan was counting on the man being desperate. Apparently he was.

  “Let’s just say that Mr. Wilde may have an alibi. Could be he’s getting his ‘get out of jail free’ card real soon.”

  Dan shook his head. “Fair enough. There’s another man in jail right now who may be getting out any day also. Wanted in Las Vegas. Roscoe Trainor.”

  Hambrick smiled. “Well, well. Isn’t that interesting?” He closed his window and drove off.

  DEENA WAITED AT HER desk while Ian took a phone call. Rob and Amy stood outside his office waiting to talk to him. The front door opened, and Dan Carson strolled in, water dripping from his cap and jacket. He looked like a wet dog. Just as she walked up to greet him, Ian called her name.

  “Come on back,” she said, taking Dan’s jacket. “I’ll see if Ian wants to talk to you.”

  Ian motioned for Dan to sit. “It’s a busy day, Dan. What have you got?”

  He laughed and crossed his legs. “It’s your turn, remember? I told you about Jackson Oil and Gas.”

  “Let’s try this,” Ian said. “Tell me the latest, and I’ll see what I can add to it.”

  “For one thing, I know that Duke Hambrick drives a white van and is in town to nab Travis Wilde and take him back to Houston. It seems Travis may have an alibi for the night of the murder.”

  Deena couldn’t believe Dan had already uncovered that information.

  “Impressive,” Ian said. “What else?”

  “Marty Fisk has an alibi for both crimes.”

  “You’re kidding!” Deena nearly fell off her chair. “Where was he?”

  “When Mrs. Wilde was killed, he was at home in bed with his wife. I thought for sure he would say he was with Georgia Parks.”

  Deena instinctively looked down at her boots, knowing they were hiding her neon purple polish. “What about the evening Katy was attacked?”

  “He was in Austin at his daughter’s drama competition. They performed The Crucible. Ironically, she played Abigail Williams. Their team won.”

  Deena’s faith in her gut instincts started to crumble like a stack of fresh oatmeal cookies. “That doesn’t mean he’s not guilty of something, right? He still might have paid someone to do the work.”

  Ian eyed Deena. “I don’t suppose you’re talking about our client, are you?”

  She scrunched her nose and turned back to Dan.

  “The police questioned Fisk,” Dan said, “and he sang like a canary. He admitted to paying Roscoe to scare the girl. That’s it, though. Swears he had nothing to do with the murder or the assault. Detective Evans seems to believe him.”

  “How do you know all this?” Ian asked.

  “Sources. Detective Evans may call you later, or he may sit on it a few days.”

  Ian grabbed his notepad. “So let’s figure out where we are. First, based on Hambrick’s statement, we’ll assume Travis didn’t kill his grandmother.”

  “That’s a relief,” Deena said. She saw the look Ian shot her and added, “I’m glad for Katy—I mean, Miss Wilde.”

  “Also, we know Travis didn’t attack his sister because he was in jail,” Ian said.

  Deena tapped her nails on the desk. “We know Fisk has admitted to paying Roscoe to scare Katy. That corroborates his story about being there that night. He wouldn’t go over there to scare her if he had attacked her earlier.”

  “You’re right,” Ian said. “If the police believe Fisk and Hambrick, that should get Roscoe off the hook for the attack on her.”

  Dan rubbed his whiskers. “Also, I can’t see Fisk giving up the information that he paid Roscoe to scare Katy if he also paid him to kill Mrs. Wilde. It would be too easy to make the connection between the two.”

  Deena looked back and forth between the two men. “Are we saying that Marty Fisk, Travis, and Roscoe may not have been involved in either crime?”

  Ian nodded. “It’s starting to look that way. As Roscoe’s defense attorney, it’s all good news. But for the police—”

  Deena smacked her forehead. “It’s back to square one.”

  Chapter 28

  Ian was anxious to talk to Roscoe, wanting to tell him about Fisk and Hambrick. He and Deena headed back down to the county jail. They sat in the same room and followed the same routine of watching Roscoe be brought in to talk to them.

  He looked more haggard than the previous day.

  “Good news,” Ian said as soon as the guard left. “Nothing is official yet, but it looks like Mr. Fisk may back up your story. He stated that he paid you to scare Katy so she would sell the house.”

  Roscoe raised his chin. “Hallelujah.”

  “Don’t be worried if it takes a few days for everything to get worked out. You know how it can be.”

  “Thanks. Have you talked to Tonya?”

  “Not yet,” Ian said. “Looks like we won’t have to.”

  Roscoe let out a sigh.

  “You know that you’re not completely off the hook. There’s still a warrant out for you in Las Vegas. The Maycroft police will want to extradite you there.”

  “I know. I can deal with it.”

  “What about Tonya?” Deena asked. “Will she be going back there with you?”

  “Probably. I don’t know why she wouldn’t.”

  Deena fumed, wanting to give him a piece of her mind. Maybe she would have to make another visit to Sister Natasha to tell her what kind of a man she was living with. Someone who would take money for unscrupulous reasons and then hide it from her.

  Ian closed his briefcase. “Is there anything else you want to tell me before I try to work out your release? Anything at all?”

  “No sir.”

  “Then I’ll get to work on this and let you know as soon as things are finalized.” Ian walked over and knocked on the door. The guard came in and led Roscoe away.

  Deena stood up. “You know, that guy may get away with this, but he’s obviously a criminal. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up spending a lot of time behind bars during his lifetime.”

  As they headed to the front of the building, a sergeant stopped Ian.

  “Hey, Davis. We had your man Culpepper in lock-up last night.”

  “What was it this time?”

  “Loitering. He was sleeping in the park again. He left something in his cell.” The officer reached under the front counter and pulled out a large paper sack. “Thought you might want to give it to him since it seems kind of fancy.” He tossed the bag to Ian.

  His face went pale as he looked inside. Then he stared at Deena with his mouth hanging open.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. But it’s made out of black velvet fabric.”

  NEITHER SPOKE AS THEY drove straight to the office. When they walked through the front door, Ian announced to Rob and Amy that they’d be in the conference room. Apparently, that was code for meeting in private. He waved for Deena to follow him through the dining area into the kitchen.

  It was her first time inside that room. A large oak table sat in the middle of the space surrounded by six chairs.

  He pulled the contents out of the bag and spread it out on the table. The fabric was matted with mud and gunk. The smell overpowered the musty odor of the office. “What is this?” he asked.

  Deena walked around to look at it from another direction. “It looks like a cape. Like from a costume or something.”

  “Check the edges.”

  When she spotted the ripped
bottom corner, she held it up for Ian. “Ouch!” She pulled back her finger to see a sliver of glass sticking out. She leaned down to look closer at the fabric. Several small pieces of glass were stuck to it.

  Neither said a word. Ian walked out, leaving her there with the curious garment. He returned with something in his hand and turned off the overhead light. He turned on a black light and scanned the cape. When he got to the bottom edge, there was a faint glow.

  Deena had seen enough police shows to have a good idea of what they were looking at. “It’s blood, right?”

  “I think so.” He turned off the black light. “But how on earth did it get in the hands of Sandra’s uncle?”

  “Sandra’s uncle? Is that the man who was picked up for sleeping in the park?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Ian carefully folded up the cape and put it back in the sack. “Follow me.”

  Deena’s mind reeled with this new discovery. For one, she didn’t know Sandra had an uncle living in Maycroft. She thought she knew everything about her friend. For another, how would he have had a cape that might have been at the scene of Katy’s attack? She assumed Ian was wondering the same thing.

  They walked back to his office, and he stuffed the sack in the bottom drawer of one of his three file cabinets.

  Deena sat in the chair, afraid of what he might say. What if he asked her to get rid of the cape? Forget she ever saw it. She’d be an accessory to something. Murder? No. A cover-up?

  She held her breath.

  “What I’m going to tell you is strictly confidential. I don’t want you telling Rob or Amy about this.”

  “What about Gary? I tell him everything. If you don’t want him to know, don’t tell me.”

  “You can tell Gary, if you have to.”

  That was a relief.

  “Sandra has an uncle who lives here in town. He’s got some problems. You might say he’s...troubled. He lives in one of those old motels on the outskirts of town. As far as I know, he’s never hurt anyone in his life.” He looked down at his hands. “I realize that the cape may be evidence in a crime, and I fully intend to turn it over to the police. But before I do, I want to talk to Sandra’s uncle, Lester. That’s his name. Lester Culpepper.”