Kari Lee Townsend - Sunny Meadows 04 - Perish in the Palm (19 page)

O
n Thursday morning, Mitch and I went to talk to Linda Theodore. He’d agreed to let me tag along, as promised, but not until the next day. Doc had said one full day of rest, Doctor’s orders, and Detective Stone was all about following orders, most of the time. When it came to my well-being…

All
of the time.

Divine Inspiration Inn was still crawling with people looking for the treasure like ants swarming a picnic basket, searching for a crumb. Leaves were falling in droves now, the grass growing dormant, and the water on the lake rippling. The rapids in the river down a ways in the woods must be churning something fierce with the way the wind had picked up.

I tightened my sweater coat and was glad I’d chosen leather riding boots and leggings instead of a long flowy skirt and strappy sandals. I sighed. Summer was officially over. Mitch locked the car, looking all business in his jeans, sport coat, and tie. He grabbed my hand and led the way inside.

We passed Frank Lalone who was walking with a limp as he worked on the lights of an outdoor pavilion. He looked like he’d been put through the ringer. Jack Shepard didn’t look like he’d fared much better. His hand was bandaged but that didn’t stop him from sharpening his garden tools. At least it looked like they had won the battle with the vultures since the guests seem to be giving them a wide berth.

When we stepped inside, things were just as busy. Everywhere you looked, people were having excited conversations while making animated gestures. Sally Clark did her duty and scurried about, keeping the place tip top and watching over the knickknacks like a hawk. I was impressed. Not a single person knocked anything over this time. Probably because of her feather duster ever at the ready.

We headed down the hall to Linda’s office and passed by the kitchen on the way. Glancing inside, my gaze locked with Pierre’s. His eye was swollen with purple and yellow bruises in various states of fading. For a moment, I saw a flash of resentment and anger directed at me, but when he spotted Detective Stone, he averted his gaze and started chopping celery at a furious pace.

“Those must have been some set of stairs.” I looked up at Mitch and saw everything I needed to. He would do anything to protect me. I didn’t particularly like fighting, but that hadn’t been why I was angry. I understood he needed to make sure Pierre Desjardins never tried to hurt me again. What had frustrated me was the fact that in doing so, he’d put his career in jeopardy. What if Pierre lodged a complaint with Captain Walker? I knew how much being a police officer meant to Mitch, and I would do anything to protect that for him.

As if reading my mind, he responded, “They were.” He flexed his fist. “Barely hurts anymore, but don’t worry. I’ll be more careful next time I go exploring.”

“Next time?”

“Exploring can be fun but dangerous. I like exploring. It’s a good workout. But have no fear. I only explore when I’m off duty, and what I do in my free time is my business.” His gaze locked on Pierre’s, but the chef refused to look at him even though Mitch had been speaking loud enough for him to hear.

This time I took Mitch’s hand in mine and pulled him after me, far away from trouble. “I don’t think you’ll be having any more free time so long as I’m around. We have a murder to solve, Detective Stone.”

“That we do, Miss Meadows.”

Linda Theodore’s office was closed. Mitch was about to knock when the door opened. Wendy Statham and Jason Shank walked out.

“You two sure do get around,” Mitch said.

“Gotta make a living, Detective.” Jason shrugged with a grin. “Do you know how many gigs I’ve lost out on, Dude? Not to mention my girlfriend misses me.”

“I can only imagine,” Mitch said. “Unfortunately, it can’t be helped. Apologies to your girlfriend. There’s still a killer on the loose,
Dude
.”

“Speaking of that, any idea when we can go home, Detective?” Wendy asked. “At this rate I’m not certain I’ll have a job at the bakery much longer if I don’t get back soon.”

“Hopefully not much longer, Ms. Statham.” He tipped his head. “Apologies to your family as well.”

“My children are grown and my husband is away, so I don’t mind. I’m more worried about my job than anything else.”

“Blame it on my mother. I’m sure she can fix it. At least you’re getting some work around here,” I said sympathetically. “I’m curious. What does Mrs. Theodore want from you both?”

“She wants me to make a treasure themed cake, if you can believe it.” Wendy smiled while shaking her head.

“And I’m spinning the tunes at the party.” Jason winked.

“Party?” Mitch looked at me.

I shrugged. “When in Rome … if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em … yadda yadda yadda. She’s a business woman with an inn to save. I’m sure she’s trying to capitalize on the craziness going on around here instead of fighting it.”

“That’s one word for it,” Wendy said. “You two have a good day. If you’ll excuse me, I have a cake to
try
to make. I’m not a miracle worker, but I always try to give people what they deserve. That poor woman deserves a lot after her husband was taken from her so senselessly.” Wendy tsked.

“Amen to that,” Jason said. He didn’t come out and say it, but it was clear he—like the rest of the town—blamed that on my mother as well.

And I couldn’t blame them. My mother had made herself look guilty in arguing with Peirce and threatening him and being just plain difficult. And I was beginning to worry that this time she’d gone too far and put herself in a situation she couldn’t get out of.

“I’m sure you both will do a great job,” I said.

“Granny Gert hooked me up with a fully stocked kitchen at her cooking class. She’s a gem, that woman. Between her contacts and your mother’s referrals, I might not need a job to go back to.” She looked at her watch. “Guess I’d better get started. It’s a good thing Mrs. Theodore is my only client at the moment. She wants this for tomorrow.”

“Hey, wait up.” Jason followed Wendy, no doubt networking her to death.

“Linda’s husband’s barely cold in the ground, and she’s already having parties.” Mitch shook his head and knocked on her door. “She sure doesn’t act like any mourning widow I’ve ever seen.”

A few minutes went by with no sound coming from the other side. I wondered if she was going to answer. Finally, she opened the door, stepping back with a surprised expression on her face.

“Detective Stone? Miss Meadows?” She eyed us warily. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“We would like a minute of your time, if that would be all right.” Mitch stood tall, with shoulders straight and hands clasped behind his back. Feet spread shoulder-width apart, even I had to admit he looked intimidating.

“But I already answered both of your questions.” Her gaze darted between the two of us, and then down the hall, making me wonder what or who she was looking for.

“Some new information has come to light.” I spoke with an easy, friendly tone, trying to put her at ease. “May we come in?”

She stepped back and held the door open. Detective Stone walked inside and sat in a chair across from her desk. I took the seat beside him.

“Am I in trouble?” Linda sat in the chair behind her desk, straightening her calendar, rearranging her pens, fidgeting.

“That remains to be seen.” Mitch pulled out a pad of paper and pen. He had a no-nonsense serious expression on his face, screaming interrogation time. The funny thing is he wasn’t even trying for intimidating. That was just his nature, which was exactly why he needed me as a consultant, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

“Mrs. Theodore, we don’t want to alarm you.” I shot Mitch an I’ve-got-this look.

He just arched a brow, waited a beat, and then sat back.

“Ronald Winters paid me a visit yesterday,” I continued.

Linda’s jaw fell open as she inhaled deeply. “You know his name?”

“I know many things,” I said with a calm, sympathetic tone before dropping a few bombs. “I know Pierre Desjardins is the man you’re having an affair with.” I held up my hand when she looked ready to deny it. “I also know he convinced you to take out the life insurance policy on your husband.”

“And your husband just happened to die soon after,” Detective Stone added, then nodded for me to keep going after I sent him a sharp look.

“Pierre didn’t kill my husband and neither did I,” Linda said vehemently.

“We’re not saying you did,” I quickly added.

“How do you know all this?” A deep V formed between her eyebrows. Her body language was once again defensive and on edge, thanks to Mitch.

I hesitated, taking a moment to think about my response. I didn’t want to say I was eavesdropping outside her office, so I said instead, “I saw and heard things, giving me undisputable proof.”

“Ohhh.” Her eyes widened. I didn’t lie, I just let her assume I meant I’d seen and heard things psychically, which was true in part.

“Mrs. Theodore.” I gentled my tone. “If Ronald Winters was your husband’s partner and they had a falling out, why on earth would you want to sell to him?”

Her shoulders wilted, and she looked defeated. “At first I didn’t know Ron was the anonymous buyer. Mr. Benedict contacted me, apologizing profusely and saying he wanted to make up for everything he’d done. He said he’d gotten involved in something he never should have and couldn’t find his way out. I was desperate, so I said yes. Until I found out who the buyer was. When I tried to get out of the deal, Ron wouldn’t let me.”

“If you hadn’t signed yet, how could he stop you?” Mitch frowned.

Linda’s face paled. “Ronald Winters is a very powerful man, capable of things you can’t even imagine.”

I reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “If you tell us what you know, maybe we can help protect you.”

She pulled her hand out from under mine and paused for a long moment, then seemed to make up her mind. “Ronald Winters is behind the bad deal Brice was involved in. He set the whole thing up.”

My jaw fell open. “You’re kidding?”

“Hardly,” she ground out. “Brice is a fool. He had stars in his eyes and thought he could help Peirce and make some money for himself in the process. So he took the money and invested it without Peirce knowing. He knew my husband wouldn’t go along with a deal that was questionable in any way, but he thought it sounded good. He just had no clue Ronald Winters was behind it all. Brice never dealt with him at first. He dealt with his partner.”

“I’m guessing Ronald was looking to ruin your husband as payback.” Mitch made some notes in his notebook.

Linda stared out the window. “We had all been so close once, but Peirce grew jealous of Ron’s success. Of always being less than him. Peirce brought Ron into running the inn because he knew he could help him be successful, but then my husband forced him out just as soon as he could and never felt bad about it.”

“Wow,” was all I could say.

I’d had no idea Peirce could be that cold. Then again there were probably a lot of things about the people in my small town that would shock me. It made a person realize that you never really knew someone completely. I couldn’t help but glance at Mitch, who looked at me curiously, but then Mrs. Theodore started speaking again.

“Ronald had been devastated.” Linda looked down at her hands. “I felt bad, but what could I do? Peirce wouldn’t listen to me.” She looked at me. “I just had no idea how much it would change Ronald. He never got over it. I think he’s been planning Peirce’s ruin for a long time.”

“Do you think Ronald Winters killed your husband?” Mitch asked.

“I don’t know. There was a time I would argue that was impossible, but the man I’ve dealt with lately isn’t the same man I once knew. He set up the shady deal, got Brice to go along with it, and then took everything from Peirce. Like I said, Brice had no clue Ronald was behind it all either. He’d always dealt with his Ronald’s partner. Once the deal went south and Brice lost everything of Peirce’s, Ronald came forward and revealed himself.”

“Why didn’t Brice go to the police?” I asked.

“He was afraid of Ronald. Ron made it clear that going to the police was a bad idea. He’d set the whole thing up on purpose so that Peirce would be vulnerable and would have no choice but to sell to him. Peirce refused, even though we were in trouble financially. Ron even had his
heavy hitter
partner rough him up, but Peirce still held out. I think he would rather die than sell to Ronald.”

“That explains the threatening phone calls.” Mitch jotted down more notes.

“Peirce tried to keep the whole thing a secret from me, but I’m no fool. I knew something was wrong. After my husband died, I tried to stop the insanity by agreeing to the deal. I finally got it out of Brice who the anonymous buyer was, but by then it was too late.”

“What about Drew Cummings the IRS guy? Wasn’t he helping Brice?” I asked. “Maybe he can help you, too.”

Linda laughed harshly. “Drew Cummings? Oh, he’d like to help me, all right. Straight into an early grave.”

Mitch’s ears perked up. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t get it, do you, Detective Stone?”

“I think I’m starting to. Drew Cummings isn’t really IRS is he?”

“No.” She looked us both in the eye, and I could see the very real fear she felt. It was the same fear Brice Benedict had shown. Finally, she answered, “He’s Ronald Winters heavy hitting partner, and I don’t think he’s finished yet.”

***

“I can’t believe they did this to him,” I said from Brice Benedict’s hospital room later that afternoon.

“We can’t prove it was Ronald Winters or Drew Cummings that did this,” Mitch said, looking down at Brice who lay in an unconscious heap clinging to life.

“You know as well as I do that they are guilty.” Anger surged through me on his behalf. “I told him we could help him. We could keep him safe.”

“And I would have tried had he come to me, but he didn’t, Sunny.” Mitch squeezed my hand. “There’s nothing we could have done.”

“We can do something now.” I turned to him. “We can stop them from doing this to anyone else.”

“I have Detective Fuller looking for them now.”