“I suppose we can,” Greg replied. “But only for a little while. Later today, Momma and I need to go talk to some people. Okay?”
I was still in the dark, my brain entrenched in a fog. “What are we doing?” I whispered to Greg.
“Ava wants to fly a kite at Trinity Park. Later we need to work on interviewing everyone again. Someone’s hiding something, lying, or knows something. We just need to start pulling teeth until someone talks.”
As soon as breakfast was over and we were ready, we drove over to the park. Ava had certainly picked the right day for it as a mild wind was just enough to keep her kite in the air. Greg worked with her on maneuvers while I sat lazily on a blanket and watched the two of them, wondering if my family life was about to end forever. It was impossible for me to wrap my head around being arrested and out on bail for murder. Had someone played me? Or was I just in the wrong place at the wrong time? While I had never pictured myself as a sleuth, with my family at stake, I was going to damn well become one.
Sprawled out on the blanket, my eyes pinned to the triangular-shaped object floating in the distance, I listened to giggles from Ava and deep chuckles from Greg.
“There you go, baby. Now you’re getting the hang of it,” I heard him telling her.
Sometime later, Ava called to me, “Mama, it’s your turn.”
Though my mind was focused on my dire situation, I stood, dusted my butt and flew a kite with my daughter.
After another hour, Greg told Ava, “Sorry sweetheart. We need to haul it in.”
“Wasn’t that fun?” she asked, reeling in the line around a string keeper.
“It was,” I agreed. “We’ll have to do this again soon.”
While we hadn’t said anything to Ava about my arrest, we had told her about Paul being the one to get hurt. Because of her friendship with Sarah, she needed to know her friend had lost her father. Ava certainly understood her loss, having only just thought it was her daddy who had died. She wanted to personally tell Sarah how sorry she was. But since I had been charged with Paul’s murder and knew Molly wouldn’t want to see me, I convinced Ava that they would be making funeral arrangements and we needed to wait to express our condolences.
After lunch, we dropped Ava with my mother and, once again, I expressed my appreciation for her services. “I don’t mind. You know I like the company,” she argued. “Just go find out who did this.”
My list of suspects was only two people long ... Molly, because wasn’t the spouse always the first suspect? And Felicia Winslow because she was Paul’s lover.
Molly refused to answer my calls and I knew she wouldn’t open the gates for me to enter, so I paid another visit to Felicia Winslow, this time with Greg.
“My God, I can’t believe you have the nerve to show up here again,” Felicia welcomed. “I started not to open the gate. But since it’s about my Paul, I did.”
“This is my husband, Greg,” I introduced.
“It’s nice to meet you, Felicia,” Greg said sticking out his hand.
She ignored his outstretched arm and instead looked around behind her at a maid changing out the flowers on a dining room table. “Just shut the hell up and follow me,” she gruffly whispered.
She led us to a formal living room. Two beige couches were separated by a chrome and glass coffee table. At one end of the long room a painting of houses along a waterway with a sailboat in the distance hung over an ornate Victorian fireplace. A drink cart was parked off to the side, lined with several colorful liquids in crystal decanters.
She caught me admiring the artwork. “It’s a Monet ... Houses on the Achterzaan. My mother is an art fan.”
“It’s beautiful,” I remarked.
“We both know you’re not here to critique our home furnishings,” she sneered at me. “Then again, you do seem to have a taste for the expensive. I see you had the courtesy not to wear an article of mine this time.”
I frowned, knowing my deal from Twice Blessed was too good to be true. “Would you like for me to return the items to you? I have quite a few clothes, some jewelry, purses—”
“No thank you. It would only serve to remind me of Paul. After what happened to him, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to wear any of it.”
“Well, if you change your mind, let me know.” In all honesty, I didn’t think I wanted to keep any of it either since it also reminded me of Paul.
“I won’t, it’s yours. Now, don’t waste my time and let’s get this talk over with before my parents return from their Sunday afternoon golf session. They’re upset with me, after the nosy police came around asking questions. I don’t need any reminders that mine and Paul’s relationship is over, especially since he’s ... well, you know. So, if you don’t mind, I’d just as soon you were gone before they arrived home.”
Esmeralda appeared. “Excuse me, will there be anything?”
“No, thank you,” Felicia replied, not bothering to offer a drink this time.
“Felicia,” Greg began. “I don’t know how much you know about what happened to Paul but—”
“I’ve talked to the police,” Felicia interrupted. “I know he was beaten to death.” She glared at me. “I know you’re the number one suspect. It’s a miracle I’ve let you into my home.”
“I don’t think you would have if you thought I did it ... would you?” I stared her down. “You know something you’re not telling. Don’t you?”
She bit at her lower lip and her eyes watered. “I loved him so much.” She gave us both a hateful look. “Do not even think of bringing my age into this or telling me I’m too young to know what love is. My heart cannot handle it. Do you understand!”
“Yes, of course,” I softly answered. “We’re not here to judge. We’re only here to find out who did such an awful thing to Paul.”
She sighed. “After you left, all I could think about was that shit you said about Paul taking advantage of your daughter. Eight?” she asked.
“Yes, eight,” I answered.
She went silent again and looked down at the floor. “When I was fourteen, we were having a pool party and when no one was looking, he massaged my breast. By the time I was fifteen we were ... you know.” She gulped. “I guess I was stupid and just couldn’t see it.” She sighed deeply. “My parents have never made much time for me. Paul ... well, he made me feel so special.” She looked at the wall instead of us. “Part of me thinks he got what was coming to him, but another part of me is breaking over the loss. I know you don’t understand.” She looked around the opulent room. “Some people think I have everything, and they dream of having my life. Well, it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. It’s lonely. I’m lonely. Paul took away that loneliness.”
“I’m sorry,” I offered.
“Don’t pity me,” she sniped, quickly throwing a wall up around her emotions. “Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said about Paul having a type, that he likes little blonde girls. You mentioned some girl, Ellen, and that Paul told her she was hot.”
“Yes, I said as much,” I confirmed.
She slowly nodded. “I’m going to tell you something that I haven’t told anyone else.” She cleared her throat. “Recently, Paul thought I was too demanding. You know, asking for clothes, jewelry, purses and other expensive stuff. He told me I was costing him too much money. It wasn’t ever a problem in the past. In fact, he loved spoiling me. But because he was having his finances investigated, he suddenly changed his tune and told me unless I stopped my spending patterns, he was going to replace me with some hot girl who wouldn’t make any demands on him at all. At the time, I thought it was a generic threat. It never occurred to me that he had an actual girl in mind. But now, I’m just wondering if he was seeing this Ellen, and she might have killed him.”
“I don’t know how far they might have taken their relationship, or for that matter, if one even truly existed,” I admitted. “But, even so, why in the world would Ellen have wanted to kill Paul?”
“Felici
a, it’s more likely that you found out about Ellen, lost your temper and you killed him,” Greg harshly pointed out.
She began to cry. “But I didn’t. I didn’t know about Ellen until you said her name. He led me to believe that I was his only girl. But you’re right. If the police get wind of this, I’ll be the one in the hot seat.” She looked at us with tears streaming down her face. “I know you want to clear yourself and, if comes to it, I know you’ll throw me under the bus. But I thought maybe you might find out more about this Ellen and see if she did it. Maybe he led her on, too, and she found out about me, or someone else. Maybe she got jealous and in a fit of rage she killed him.” She gulped. “I swear to you, I didn’t do it.”
“Does the name Roland N. Doe mean anything to you?” I asked, referring to the pen name of the person who supposedly reserved room 7.
“The police asked me the same thing. But no, it doesn’t mean anything to me. They also spoke to some lady who works there, and she described the room being reserved by a blonde-haired girl with spiral curls and expensive jewelry, pretty much describing me. Let me assure you, there is no way I would’ve stepped foot in that sleazy fleabag hotel, not even for Paul. I think someone is trying to set me up.”
I frowned, thinking, if she were telling the truth, she could be right. Maybe the real killer wanted a fall guy in case I was cleared of the murder.
“What do you know about this financial investigation?” Greg asked changing the subject.
She shrugged. “He said the FBI and SEC were looking into his business practices. He made it sound like it was a routine audit and he just didn’t want them to find out he was spending money on me. But the last time we were together, I overheard him on speakerphone, talking to his lawyer. From what I was able to gather, he was promising clients a high rate of return. Once he had their money, he was telling them, either the investment went belly-up, or it lost a ton of money and there was only a small amount left. Either way, he was skimming the money for himself. It sounded like he was trying to cover his tracks, because his lawyer asked if he’d repaid as many people as possible. His lawyer said there couldn’t be any other complaints filed and he needed to get as many people as he could off the list. The sooner, the better.” She shook her head. “You see, I wasn’t the only one Paul duped.”
I nodded in understanding, knowing Greg was one of the ones Paul deluded. There was little doubt in mind that part of Greg’s money went to repay Rhonda Payne to prevent her from filing a complaint against him. It had to be the check she converted to cash through the drive-thru with Greg’s name on the memo. And as far as Greg's loss went, Paul most likely thought Greg, his friend, wouldn't be one of the ones to come after him.
We talked only a little while longer. “Thank you for the information,” Greg said upon our exit.
“Felicia, I’m really sorry about what Paul did to you,” I told her, the same as I had the other day, but this time she heard me.
◆◆◆
“She sounded believable. Didn’t you think?” I asked of Greg as we drove away.
He shrugged. “You never know. She could be a pathological liar ... or a murderer covering her own ass.” He grimaced. “It’s too bad her parents are never around. I would’ve liked to have heard what they had to say.”
“True,” I agreed. “Molly acted like Margaret Winslow knew about her daughter’s involvement with Paul. She told the clerk at Twice Blessed that it was Margaret who was getting rid of all that stuff. Molly even mentioned she was so embarrassed that her husband was having an affair with her best friend’s daughter. If Margaret didn’t know, why be embarrassed? And, for that matter, why tell me about the affair?”
“I don’t know. She probably just knew everything was going to come out in the end and she might as well face the music.”
“Possibly. But at the time she mentioned it, it was only an affair. I thought it was you who was in that room, not Paul. They could’ve kept Paul’s affair secretive.”
Greg shook his head. “Yeah, but everything with Paul was coming to light and the you-know-what was about to hit the fan ... Paul’s investment scam, Paul’s pedophilia, his underage lover, and who knows what else. With his world tumbling down, there weren’t going to be any more secrets.”
“Where do we go from here?”
“I think it’s time we paid my good friend Roger a visit. Let’s see what he and Darlene have to say now that Paul’s body has been discovered.”
Just the mention of Roger sent a cold chill up my spine. Going over to their house again was not on my list of fun weekend activities. But it had to be done. “Okay,” I agreed.
All the way across town and to the other side of the tracks so to speak, we turned into the hovelled neighborhood Roger and Darlene called home. Greg pulled alongside the curb and frowned. “Don’t say anything. I can already imagine what you’re thinking.”
“There’s another paper in the yard,” I said, unable to resist.
He shook his head and unsnapped his seat belt. “Come on, let’s go.”
This time, after ringing the bell, Evan, their six-year-old answered the door. “Greg,” he said immediately and latched onto Greg’s leg, hugging him.
“Hey buddy,” Greg said, ruffling his hair. “We need to talk to your mommy and daddy.”
“They ain’t here. They ... hmm ... I don’t know where they are.” He put on a puzzled look. “Toby ... hey Toby. Where’d momma and daddy go?” Toby was nine. I certainly hoped someone who was older was in the house. “Toby,” he yelled again.
It was a good five minutes later before Toby came downstairs. “What are you holler’n about?” he demanded. “Oh hey, Mr. and Mrs. Mills. I didn’t know we had company.”
“We were hoping to talk to your parents,” Greg said.
“Oh, they’re not here. I don’t think they’ll be gone long though. Do you guys want to wait for a bit?”
I didn’t. “Yes, we’d love to,” Greg replied.
“Is anyone else here?” I asked because I just had to know if a nine-year-old and a six-year-old were here alone.
“Little Roger’s out back smoking a cigarette,” he answered. “I think Ellen went next door. Cassie’s with my parents.”
At that moment, Little Roger opened the slider and stepped inside. “Hey,” he said, pumping some breath spray into his sixteen-year-old mouth and looking quite surprised to see us standing in his entry hallway.
“Hey yourself,” Greg replied. “Do you know when your parents are coming back?”
“Beer run. Shouldn’t be long,” he answered, nervously fidgeting from one foot to the other. “Listen, I hate to say hi and then run, but I was just on my way out.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, surveying his anxious mannerisms. “Surely you’re not thinking of leaving a six and nine-year-old here alone.”
“Uh, no. Ellen’s next door. I’ll have her come home.”
“Let’s talk,” Greg said. “We never get to chat, do we?”
“Uh, well, uh, I’m going to be late.” He flicked his wrist and looked at his watch and then acted like he needed to leave.
“No, this won’t take long,” Greg promised. “Let’s have a seat in the dining room. Shall we?”
“Uh, okay,” he said hesitantly. When he took a chair at the dining table, we sat across from him and stared a hole in him. He looked overly uncomfortable, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if he hadn’t bolted at any moment.
“Let’s start with you telling us what you know about Paul being in my car the other night at that hotel?” Greg pressed.
“Uh, uh, er,” he stammered, guilt shadowing his expression. “Nothing. I don’t know nothing.”
“My wife saw Paul driving it,” Greg said firmly. “Emily followed him to the hotel.”
His eyes darted to mine. “Look, I know you came over and questioned my mom and dad. You thought it was Greg in that hotel room and that he was cheating on you.”
“That’s correct. I did at
the time. Now we all know it was Paul. Don’t we?”
“We’ve had a lot of time to think this through,” Greg paused. “I think Ellen was in that car with him.”
“Uh,” he said and then clamped his mouth shut.
“I thought so,” Greg bluffed. “So, it was Ellen with Paul.”
Little Roger bit at his lip and concentrated on digging his fingernail into a crack in the wooden table.
“Come on,” Greg urged. “It’s not going to look good for Ellen if she was in the car with Paul, and then later in the hotel room with a dead man. She’s going to be in big trouble when this whole thing blows up. I think you’re covering for your sister. If you are, you’d better start spilling your guts and covering your own butt, before the police file charges against you for hindering prosecution and obstructing justice.”
He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands and sighed. “It was my parents’ idea. I was just doing what I was told to do.”
“Well, confession time is now,” Greg pressured. “You have your whole life ahead of you. I’d hate to see you ending up in jail.”
“God, we didn’t kill him! That wasn’t part of the plan,” he blubbered out.
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” Greg said. “Tell me about the plan.”
“Uh, I think we should wait for my parents.” His forehead had broken out into beads of sweat and he was swallowing a lot. “I need something to drink.” He rushed to the sink and cupped water into his hands and drank. Then he splashed his face. When he looked up, he was pale as a ghost. “I think I’m going to faint,” he murmured, beginning to slump to the floor.
Greg lunged for him and held his wobbly legs in place. “Just breath,” he soothed Little Roger. Greg walked him back to the dining room chair and waited for Little Roger to catch his breath and his color to semi-return. “Start at the beginning,” Greg said in an authoritative voice, one I expected he used when cross-examining witnesses.
Little Roger’s leg was bouncing up and down and he was having a hard time making eye contact. “It all started when you quit playing racquetball and Paul Jensen took your place. Paul fit in well enough with Lucas and Neal. But, as you might expect, he didn’t take to my dad. We ain’t his kind of folk. Paul looked down his nose at us ... at least that’s the way it was until one night when Ellen and I went over to watch Dad play. Paul noticed her from the viewing glass and ... and he just had to be introduced after the match was over. Dad figured out right away that Paul had a thing for Ellen, despite her age.” He stopped talking and stared at the floor.
The Hotel Page 27