Dirty Rotten Tendrils (17 page)

At that, Morgan leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head, the old chair’s springs groaning beneath him. “Up to your old tricks, I see.”

“What tricks? I was just wondering what Darnell was thinking.”

Morgan smiled at me, saying nothing. He wasn’t making this easy.

“So how
is
the Lipinski investigation coming?” I asked. “Any new leads?”

“Abby,” he said with a sigh, sitting up, “I wish I could satisfy your curiosity, but you know the rules.”

“Rules are meant to be broken, Greg, at least where friends are concerned. It’s not like you haven’t helped me before.”

Morgan put his finger to his lips to warn me to be quiet, then got up and closed his door. “The last time I helped you,” he said, returning to his desk, “I got called on the carpet for it.”

“Oh! I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t let it happen again. I’d like to keep my job.”

“Look, I’m sorry I got you into hot water, but I also don’t want to see Dave Hammond railroaded. You know that could happen, Greg, so stop rolling your eyes. Surely you can tell me whether Dave is the prime suspect. No harm in that, is there?”

Morgan picked up his pen and examined the tip. “Can’t do it.”

I leaned closer, staring at him so he’d feel uncomfortable. “You know what I think? That if Darnell wasn’t targeting Dave, you’d tell me not to be concerned, that he was just one of many people being interviewed.”

Morgan narrowed his eyes at me. “Either change subjects or this conversation is over.”

“Okay, how’s this? Have you ever been up against Ken Lipinski in court?”

“Yes,” he answered warily.

“Then you know how he operated. There’s a reason the man was disliked by most of the attorneys in town. Lipinski played dirty. He was a scoundrel. Dave can’t be the only lawyer who’s ever had important documents taken during a hearing where the Lip was involved, so he shouldn’t be the only suspect. If the detectives would just talk to the lawyers in Lipinski’s other cases—”

“He didn’t have any other active cases, Abby.”

“What? That’s not possible. The guy was always busy.”

“He cleared his calendar so he could focus on Cody Verse’s defense.”

I sat there, stunned.

“So if there’s nothing else—” Morgan said.

“He cleared his entire court calendar?”

“Yes. And why wouldn’t he? This case was catapulting him into the national spotlight. Who could blame him for dumping the lesser cases?”

Not Morgan, apparently. But knocking out all the lawyers Lipinski might have been up against meant that Dave needed more than just reliable alibi witnesses; he also needed to find a suspect with as strong a motive as he had. Hmm
.
An idea was forming.

Morgan set his briefcase on the desk and began to put files inside, then paused. “So Nikki actually enjoyed the college basketball game?”

That’s what they’d done on Sunday! “She said it was incredible, Greg.” As in, incredibly boring. As in, she’d rather scrub toilets.

He shook his head. “She had a strange way of showing it.”

“Forget about Nikki for the moment, Greg. Lipinski’s death was ruled a homicide, right?”

“That’s common knowledge.”

“I remember Darnell saying that Lipinski died from a lethal mix of drugs and alcohol. Wouldn’t that make it a premeditated murder?”

Morgan paused, as if about to say something, then continued to stuff the briefcase.

“Let’s say you just agreed with me. Then Dave would’ve had to take the drug or drugs to the meeting and get it into the Lip’s drink without him noticing. So, besides the fact that Dave wouldn’t have done anything like that, he’d also have had to have access to the drugs involved, right? So why don’t you have the cops search his home and office? I guarantee they won’t find any evidence, because
he didn’t do it
!”

Pressing his lips together, Morgan snapped his briefcase shut. He wasn’t going to give an inch. What could I do?

“Wait, Greg,” I said, as he started toward the door. “I won’t ask you anything else. Just please, as Nikki’s best friend, give me one little hint as to why Dave is a suspect.”

He stopped, his back to me, his hand on the doorknob. Then he turned and said very quietly, “Do you know what prescription medicines Dave’s mother is taking?”

I shook my head.

“Then maybe you should find out.”

 

 

I hurried out of the courthouse carrying a knot in my stomach the size of a basketball. How could I have forgotten about Dave’s mom? If Mrs. Hammond was taking the same medicine that was used to kill the Lip, Dave was in hot water for sure.

I made my way through the multitudes gathered on the lawn, detouring around an area where blankets had been spread for picnic lunches as though it were summer already. All around me people huddled together, cupping warm drinks or shivering as they ate sandwiches, hoping to see their idols or to be caught on television by one of the roving reporters. On the wide front steps of the courthouse, mimes, jugglers, and unicycle riders took turns performing, while teens swarmed over the cement planters, watching for the limo convoy, obviously ditching school.

My phone beeped again as I made my way toward Franklin, reminding me I had unanswered text messages. Before checking them, I called Martha to see if she’d heard from Dave, but got a recording. The texts were from Marco, and the last one sounded urgent: CALL ASAP
.

I hit speed dial number two, and Marco answered on the second ring. “Sunshine, where are you?”

“On my way back to Bloomers. Why? What’s going on?”

“I hate like hell to do this, but I’m going to have to postpone our lunch date. I wanted to catch you before you headed this way. Rafe is in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“I don’t know yet. He said he needed to see me before he left for work, and he’d explain when I got there. He’s at Down the Hatch, so I’m on my way there now.”

“Why couldn’t he tell you over the phone?”

“Who knows? This is Rafe we’re dealing with.”

Why did I get the feeling my ring was involved? “I hope he’s okay.”

“Me, too. And I’m sorry about our date, babe.
Really
sorry. You don’t know how sorry.”

“You’ll make it up to me,” I said, waiting at the curb for cars to pass.

“I keep trying.”

“Is that why you texted me earlier?”

“No, I hadn’t heard from you and wondered if you’d had any luck at the nursing home.”

“I couldn’t find one alibi witness, Marco, not even the woman who’d called me at the shop. I haven’t talked to all of the staff yet, so I’m not giving up hope. The detectives have already been there, by the way. I stopped by Greg Morgan’s office to see what I could pry out of him, and he said that the Cody Verse lawsuit was the only active case the Lip had, which makes it less likely that other lawyers are suspects. Then Greg hinted that Mrs. Hammond’s medicine was the same as the drug they found in Lipinski’s stomach, which would be another reason the detectives are focusing on Dave. And they’re definitely focusing on him, Marco.”

“The tox report must have come in,” he said as I dashed across the street. “I asked Reilly about that earlier, and he seemed to think they wouldn’t get it for another week.”

“If they didn’t have it, why would Morgan tell me I should find out what meds Mrs. Hammond was taking?”

“He must have felt that would help you somehow, possibly just to let you know what the detectives’ working theory is.”

“It’s time to start another working theory, Marco, such as Cody Verse as the killer.”

“Any evidence to back that up?”

“No, but how about a jealousy motive?”

I stopped outside Bloomers to recount Jillian’s tale about the Lip making moves on Lila, and Cody’s reaction to it. “You know how jealousy can make people do crazy things, and it sounded to me like Cody was pretty far out there when it came to being jealous. Maybe he slipped a drug into Lipinski’s drink to make him sick, not intending to kill him.”

“Okay, let’s test your theory. First, Cody would need access to the drug that was used.”

“He’s a celebrity, Marco. I don’t think that would be a problem. He probably has a personal physician on call.”

“Fair enough. Second, he’d have to have the opportunity. Was anything mentioned about him being at Lipinski’s office that afternoon?”

“Don’t know.”

“Then we need to find out. Third, do you trust that Jillian’s gossip is accurate as to what transpired between Lila and Lipinski, and then later between Cody and Lila?”

“Jillian definitely has an ear for gossip, but you’re right—she also has a tendency to exaggerate.”

“Fourth,” Marco said, “someone in an irate state would be more likely to punch, shoot, stab, or strangle. Adding a drug into a drink is a deliberate act that takes forethought and quite a bit of cunning.”

“True, but I still think Cody should be investigated.”

“I’m not discounting your theory, only putting it to the test. And if we’re talking about a jealousy motive, Scott Hess should be on the suspect list.”

Several people were passing by, laughing, so I wasn’t sure I’d heard correctly. “Did you say Hess?” I whispered.

“Yep. Just about everyone in town knew who the Lip was, but I’m betting few knew who Hess was. His name was never on the billboards with Lipinski’s, or mentioned in any radio or TV spots that I’ve ever heard. Maybe Hess was tired of working in his boss’s shadow. Maybe he wanted some of the fame, too.

“I’m sure Hess was aware of the dispute over Dave’s missing evidence,” Marco continued, “and no doubt he knew Dave had filed a complaint against his boss. Hess could have easily learned that Dave was coming in for a meeting at the end of the day. Maybe he saw a window of opportunity. All he had to do was stay in the building after the staff went home, or use his key to come back later. If Hess had access to any prescription medicines, he’d have the means, motive,
and
opportunity.”

“One hitch, Marco. How would Hess know that Dave’s meeting would last past office hours?”

“He’d have to stick around the office to see.”

I glanced up when Lottie opened the door. “Sorry to butt in, sweetie,” she said, “but Grace needs to leave for her appointment and the parlor is jammed.”

I signaled that I’d be right in. “Marco, I need to go.”

“And I’m just pulling up behind the bar. I’ll get back to you later.”

 

 

I spent the next half hour refilling coffee cups, brewing tea, and serving Grace’s cranberry scones. The parlor crowd was just starting to thin out when I got a phone call from Dave.

“Dave, thank goodness you called,” I whispered, so customers couldn’t overhear. “I was concerned. What happened at your interview? Why were you there so long?”

“Take it easy, Abby. I wasn’t questioned the whole time. I did a lot of sitting and waiting.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“It’s obvious Darnell is trying to build a case against me. Thus far, he’s basing it on three things. That no one at Whispering Willows can corroborate my alibi. That there is bad blood between Lipinski and me over the missing exhibit. And that I was allegedly the last one to see him alive. All he needs is the means and he’ll have his case.”

“Is he checking into the meds your mom is taking?”

“Yes. How did you know that?”

“Greg Morgan let it slip. Did he tell you what drugs were in Lipinski’s stomach?”

“He wouldn’t tell me anything, but I seriously doubt whether the tox report is back. It’s too soon. He’s speculating. He’s got Martha under the lamp now, and I imagine my wife will be called next. He may call you, too.”

Me? The one who let it slip to McKay about Dave going to visit his mom? I’d have to try to stay under the radar. “Thanks for the heads-up, Dave.”

“It’s time for us to be proactive, Abby. If the detectives won’t look into other leads, then we’ll have to do it for them. Do you want to talk to Marco about the two of you working for me? I’d call Marco myself, but I need to get back to the office. My afternoon appointments will be coming in soon and no one is there to greet them.”

“Of course we’ll work for you. And just briefly, I did talk to people at Whispering Willows today, but I couldn’t find anyone who saw you. I couldn’t even find the person who phoned me. I haven’t interviewed all of the staff yet, but I will. A reporter showed up, so I left.”

“Good move. Whatever you do, Abby, try to keep the press out of this. If they find out that the police are investigating me as the prime suspect, my business could disappear overnight. I’d be a pariah.”

“I won’t let that happen, Dave.” Even if I had to stuff McKay’s mouth with stockings and handcuff him inside my closet. On second thought, Nikki’s closet.

“Can we meet at my office tomorrow morning?” Dave asked. “Say around eight thirty?”

“We’ll be there.”

I hung up, then dashed across the room with the coffee-pot to pour refills for the remaining customers. A few minutes later, Grace walked in wearing a pair of glasses with frames that were thin rectangles of black with ornate silver corners.

“Sweet,” I told her. “They go great with your hair.”

“You don’t think they’re too young for me, do you?” she asked, starting a fresh batch of coffee. “The frames were in stock.”

“Not at all. You look very fashionable.”

Lottie came in to admire the new frames and let us know she was leaving for lunch, so I could take over for her in the shop. In between customers, I phoned Marco to give him a brief rundown on Dave’s interview and ask, “Do you have a problem with a meeting at Dave’s office at eight thirty in the morning?”

“Nope.”

“Great. Are you still at the bar?”

“Yep.”

Hmm. He was being awfully short. “With Rafe?”