Murder! (Parker & Knight Book 1) (3 page)

“Yes.”

“Did you see anyone else near the house as you arrived?”

“No. it was just me and my friend Becca, we were gonna play
Nintendo
and then
Skype
a friend of ours that moved away to Connecticut.”

“Did you touch anything when you came in?”

“No. When we saw Tiffany I hollered at her to wake up, but then Becca saw the blood on her side and screamed, after that... we ran over to Mrs. Jennings across the street and she called the cops, called you.”

“And where did you and Becca come from?”

“Her house, she lives around the block on Truant Street.”

“Were you there all day?”

Allie shook her head.

“Becca’s mom took us out to lunch, but then we went back to her house.”

“All right, honey, thanks for talking to me, and I’m sorry about your friend.”

Allie Kent sent him half a smile, a nod, and then drifted out of the room.

***

P
arker left Knight in the house with Mandy Kent as he and Alex Kent stepped outside and walked around to the garden in the back.

The garden was impressive. It covered a good chunk of the large yard with rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, and there was even a section that sported corn stalks, although they were few in number. The yard had no fence, but was separated from its neighbors by rows of tall hedges that sat buried in fragrant pine wood chips. To Parker, the plants looked like green sentries on guard duty.

Kent leaned down and began weeding the garden with his bare hands.

“I’ve been neglecting things for a few days and already the weeds are trying to take over.”

Parker tapped him on the shoulder.

“Tend to your garden some other time; I’ve more questions for you.”

“Oh, right, I’m sorry, it’s just that this garden is like my baby, you know? But listen, why don’t we go inside the shed and I’ll turn the air-conditioner on.”

The shed was even more impressive than the garden. The right side of the shed was just that, a place to store tools and supplies for the garden, but the left side that took up the bulk of the small building was a man-cave, complete with TV, sofa bed, fridge, and as promised, air-conditioning.

Parker followed Kent inside.

“Do you spend much time out here Mr. Kent?”

“Yeah, I guess, gardening is my hobby, helps me relax,”

“You mentioned that you were watching the house last night, I take it that you no longer live here?”

Kent hung his head.

“My wife kicked me out the other day. I’m staying at the Washington Inn.”

“You also mentioned that you thought she was having an affair with Steve Grace, why do you believe that?”

“The kid is always sniffing around her, and that crap he told her about Tiffany and me having an affair, that was bullshit.”

“You also mentioned that you saw him last night, when was that?”

“About midnight, I came by to check on things, you know, to see if Mandy was seeing anyone. When I saw that there were no strange cars around I felt relieved, but then I saw Steve come through the hedges back here and walk across the driveway. Mandy must have let him in by the back door, probably ashamed of dating a kid that young.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-one, and a male version of his sister,”

“Did you stay long enough to see him leave?”

A smirk came across Kent’s face.

“The kid was in and out in less than fifteen minutes, must have been a quickie.”

Parker wondered if Kent was telling the truth. The part about the back door seemed strange. He made a few notations in his notebook and moved on.

“What sort of work do you do Mr. Kent?”

“Right now, I’m in the furniture business. I’m a part owner of Regal Furniture.”

“Business must be good; you own a lot of nice things.”

Kent laughed.

“I’m lucky is what it is. I had begun dabbling at currency trades when my company downsized me three years ago. The unemployment insurance kept us afloat for a while there, and when I couldn’t find anything that paid a decent salary, I began doing more trading. Well, I made a little, then a little more, and when the unemployment ended I figured what the heck, I’d give it a go. Well, to make a long story short I was able to tread water for a few months, but even with Mandy’s salary we were still nibbling away at our savings.”

“But then things turned around I take it?” Parker said.

“Oh yeah, I got on a streak like you wouldn’t believe. I made over four million dollars in a few months’ time, and as much as I’d like to attribute it to smarts I know it was just dumb luck. So, I put half of it aside for taxes, used most of it to help a friend expand his business, and now I’m part owner of a chain of furniture stores and making five times what I did before I got laid off.”

“You are a lucky man, are you as lucky with woman, woman such as Tiffany Grace?”

Anger flashed in Kent’s eyes, but after taking a deep breathe, he spoke.

“As God is my witness, Detective, I was not having an affair with that girl.”

“You’re telling me that there was no sexual contact of any kind?”

“That’s right,” Kent said, but less convincingly.

“Were you ever alone with her?”

Kent nodded.

“It happened here, I was in here watching a ball game one day when I hear a knock on the door. When I opened it, she walked right in.”

“Why did she come to see you?”

“She wanted a job babysitting Allie. There’s a three hour gap during weekdays when Allie’s home by herself after summer day camp. Well, twelve is an odd age, you know, kids aren’t grown, but they’re not babies anymore either. My wife trusted Allie to look out for herself, but I always worried and began coming home as early as I could, but Allie was still here alone for a period of time. So I hired Tiffany to look after Allie, and that way I wouldn’t have to rush home. When I mentioned it at dinner that night, Allie was all smiles. She liked Tiffany as if she were a big sister.”

“I take it your wife wasn’t as pleased?”

“You got that right. She didn’t say a word until Allie went up to her room, but then I got both barrels. She was pissed because I hadn’t consulted her and then she asked me why I really hired her.”

“She suspected you were interested in her, does she have reason to be?”

Kent scratched at the back of his neck.

“You’ve only seen her... deceased, but believe me, Tiffany was one very good-looking girl, and vivacious, I think every woman on the block is jealous of her. And yes, I was attracted to her; I mean I’m not made of stone.”

Parker stepped closer to Kent.

“You’re leaving something out. Your wife is convinced that you were sleeping with that girl, and she must have a reason to believe it. What’s the reason?”

Kent broke eye contact and Parker saw his shoulders slump.

“Allie had a school thing the other day, some kind of orientation for the new school year, but she forgot to mention it and so Tiffany came over to babysit. I had been out to lunch with the salesmen that day and had a bit to drink. I came home early and found Tiffany at the door. I let her in, I knew Allie wouldn’t be home, but I said nothing and let her in to wait.”

“And?”

“And we sat on the sofa... and I kissed her, she pulled back and put her hands on my chest, I guess to push me away, and that’s when Mandy came home. She accused us of having an affair and fired Tiffany, but I swear, it was just me acting stupid when I had a buzz on, and Tiffany wasn’t interested.”

Parker stared at Kent and tried to keep the disgust he felt for the man from showing on his face.

Not only was he willing to break his marriage vows at the first opportunity, but he was also not above trying to seduce a teenager.

He had often wondered how his wife’s affair had begun. Had she chased after Timothy Hearn or was Hearn the aggressor, either way, marriage vows, a solemn oath, meant less than nothing to some people, and Parker knew about the pain that Mandy Kent must have felt when she caught her husband with the girl.

“Did you kill Tiffany Grace, Mr. Kent?”

“No, and I was at work when it happened.”

“Who knows the code to your alarm?”

“Just us, we never give it out, not even to close relatives.”

Parker handed Kent one of his cards.

“I’ll likely want to speak with you again, Mr. Kent, so keep yourself available and let me know if you plan to travel. If you think of anything useful, let me know.”

“I kissed Tiffany, but I never slept with her. You believe me, don’t you?”

“No sir, I do not,” Parker said, and walked away.

D
etective Joanna Knight studied Mandy Kent as the other woman went about making a pot of coffee.

Mandy Kent was nervous, but it was the normal sort of apprehension that came from discovering that someone you knew had been murdered, and not the twitching nervousness of guilt. Still, Knight knew that Mandy Kent had an admitted motive, as she believed her husband had been sleeping with the victim.

Like Parker, Knight had also detected the scent of liquor coming from Mandy Kent. Perhaps the woman had taken a drink to steady her nerves, or perhaps the problem went deeper, but Mandy had obviously been drinking.

“You have a lovely home, Mrs. Kent,” Knight said.

Mandy leaned back against the sink and grinned.

“Almost everything is new. Alex made a fortune recently and I used a chunk of it to upgrade. We’re also building a new home, I want a bigger house.”

“How well did you know Tiffany Grace?”

“Not too well, but Allie loved her and so I went along with her babysitting, that is, until I found her on the couch with my husband,”

“Where was your daughter at the time?”

“Allie was at school for orientation. Alex knew the house would be empty and he let that girl in and seduced her, or she seduced him, either way, I tossed his ass to the curb.”

“Mr. Kent seems to think that you’re sleeping with the victim’s brother, are you?”

“What’s that got to do with Tiffany’s murder?”

Knight got up from her seat at the table and walked over to Mandy Kent.

“I don’t answer questions Mrs. Kent, I ask them, and when I do, I expect an answer.”

Mandy Kent blinked rapidly as she looked up at the taller woman.

“I slept with Steve once, two days ago, and I regret it. It felt cheap, and despite everything, I want my husband back.”

“Your husband says that Steve Grace was here last night.”

“He’s wrong, or... maybe he’s right and Steve did knock at the back door, but if he did I never heard him. I drank so much last night that I fell asleep in front of the TV after Allie went to bed.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m a real estate agent.”

“Steve Grace, does he work?”

“He’s a college student, so is—so was Tiffany. They also collected enough life insurance from their parents’ accident so that they didn’t need to work. That was what made me so suspicious of Tiffany, why babysit for a few dollars a week when you didn’t need to?”

“You think that she was after your husband?”

“All I know is what I saw the day I walked in on them.”

“Did you kill Tiffany?”

“God no! I didn’t like her, but I would never kill her.”

“Where were you this afternoon?”

“I was over in Hamilton to show a house to a couple.”

“This couple can verify that?”

“They never showed, and so I sat in my car and looked at listings on my laptop.”

“Did anyone see you in Hamilton?”

“I... no, maybe one of the neighbors?”

Knight took out her notebook.

“What’s the address?”

Mandy told her and Knight wrote it down.

“Mrs. Kent, did Tiffany know that you slept with her brother?”

“I don’t know.”

“But your husband knows, how?”

“He doesn’t know; he only suspects because Steve has always been attentive to me. You won’t tell him, will you?”

“Only if I have a reason to, and I doubt that I will,”

“Please don’t, I really want to try and put my marriage back together.”

“Your marriage is not my concern. My only concern is finding Tiffany’s murderer.”

“And will you, find the murderer I mean?”

Knight smiled without a trace of warmth.

“Absolutely,”

***

K
night spoke with Mandy Kent a while longer as the two of them sipped on coffee, and then she walked off to find Parker.

She found him outside, after discovering that the body had been taken away and the forensics team had left.

“Please tell me that Mr. Kent confessed.”

Parker smiled.

“He confessed his lust for the victim, but says he didn’t kill her. What about the wife?”

“She’s sleeping with the victim’s brother. She said it only happened once two days ago, but once is enough to count as an affair in my book.”

They each took a side of the street and began speaking with the neighbors, most of which didn’t know the Kents or Tiffany Grace, but a Mrs. Paula Jennings, a grandmotherly type, confirmed that it was she who called the police after Allie Kent and her friend came running to the door. She also offered the opinion that Mandy Kent, “drinks a lot” and that Alex Kent had paid too much attention to, “the young girl with the long blonde hair,” Tiffany Grace.

As Knight joined him back in front of the Kent home, Parker pointed to his right, where a silver sports car was parking at the curb.

“That might be the victim’s brother.”

A young, blond man got out of the car and there was a definite resemblance to the victim; however, there was nothing soft or feminine about the man, whose muscular arms showed clearly from a sleeveless T-shirt.

Parker flashed his badge.

“Are you Steve Grace, sir?”

The man’s eyes darted back and forth between Parker and Knight and Parker thought that there was both fear and guilt in his gaze.

“Yeah, I’m Steve Grace. What’s going on?”

Parker gestured toward Grace’s house.

“Perhaps we should speak inside, sir.”

Grace said, “All right,” and then led the way to his front door.