Oven Baked Secrets (Eugeena Patterson Mysteries Book 2) (6 page)

About an hour went by and I was still looking at the Facebook.  I can’t believe how you can waste hours just clicking and looking at other people’s Facebook pages. I was really wondering what Jocelyn had done that she thought was unforgivable. I just couldn’t wrap my head around murder.  There was no doubt a woman was the shooter, but that wasn’t Jocelyn’s car over at the house. That was clue number two for me whether it made sense or not.

The more I thought about it, it felt like poor William was set up. Did the woman really want to buy Louise’s house or was she looking for a way to trap poor William for another reason?  William wasn’t the most respectable guy.  I suspected, even though I had never shared with Louise, that her boy was really a con artist. He could talk his way out of just about anything especially with his mother who seemed to dote on him just a bit too much. Now Mr. Hopkins wasn’t easily fooled, and I remembered Louise was worried that her husband was not very proud of William.

Bill Hopkins had good reason to suspect his son of not having much integrity.

I checked the time on my laptop and saw it was way after lunch. I went to the kitchen and fixed a peanut butter sandwich. As I gulped down the sandwich, I decided I better contact my oldest son first about William’s shooting. While Junior had his own family, he had taken the role of stepping into his father’s shoes seriously. A few months ago, I had a serious conversation with him about the safety of the neighborhood.  If he found out about William’s death by some other way, he would certainly drive from Greenville to Charleston and give me that same lecture again.

As a successful, busy corporate lawyer, I usually wasn’t sure if Junior was in court or the office, so I tried calling his office first. As the phone ring, I kept wondering if Jocelyn would message me back on Facebook. She probably was thinking she needed to stay far away from
that cuckoo Eugeena Patterson
.

I mean I could technically be considered a stalker since I tracked her down.

My son’s secretary picked up the phone saving me from drifting into even more foolish thinking. “Ralph Patterson’s office.”

“Yes Aimee, this is his mother, Mrs. Eugeena Patterson. Is Mr. Patterson available?”

“Hello, Mrs. Patterson, it’s so good to hear from you. Let me check to see if Mr. Patterson is available.”

A few moments later, a deep voice boomed over the phone. “Mama, is everything all right?”

“Everything is okay here, but I thought I better call you before you found out.”

“Found out? Mama, that’s not good to hear. Now you have me alarmed.”

I gulped. I’ve had the opportunity to see my son arguing a case. He was quite the formidable opponent being a large man with a tendency for the dramatic. I braced myself because I knew Junior was going to turn that dramatic flair up a notch when he heard my news. “Now, Junior, I don’t need you to run up your blood pressure.”

I could picture Junior’s large frame taking a breath as he sighed. “That advice is not helping me, Mama, but I’m listening.”

“There was a tragic incident last night. William Hopkins is dead.”

“How? I just saw him a few weeks ago.”

I started to tell Junior the details of William’s shooting, but stopped. “What? Where did you see him?”

“That doesn’t matter now if the man’s dead, Mama.”

“Excuse me, but any clues to why the man was shot to death would be important.”

“Shot? William was murdered? Where?”

I was starting to see telling Junior might not have been a good idea because I felt my own blood pressure rising. I took a deep breath, and decided to wait before I told Junior that William was shot to death next door.

Baby steps, Eugeena.

“Junior, why don’t you tell me about the last time you saw William. Was there anything different about him?”

“Why do I feel like you’re not telling me everything, Mama?”

It was time to pull mama rank. “Ralph, Jr., tell me about William. His mama has lost her only child, and any clues would help the police.”

Junior was quiet for a moment. “Alright, I don’t need you getting upset either.  I saw William about two weeks ago when I was visiting a client in Charleston.”

I frowned. “You were in Charleston and didn’t come see me?”

“Mama, it was a quick day trip. Anyhow, William was coming out of the building that I was entering. I almost didn’t recognize him. The only clue was I thought I recognized William’s voice. He has that way of talking through his nose that’s pretty distinct. He was saying to the guy, ‘This is going to be a successful venture.’ I turned around and I hate to say it but I was probably staring.  William … well he looked different. Being curious, I waited for him to finish talking to the man.”

“Man? Had you seen him before?”

“In fact, yes, I’ve seen the guy William was speaking to in a couple of publications. He’s a young guy who grew up around in South Carolina, went off to some Ivy League school and decided to set up business down here. His name is Jake something. Can’t think of his last name at the moment. Walks around with a hoodie so you wouldn’t know he was a businessman.”

“Is that so? Could you tell what else they were talking about?”

“Why so many questions, Mama?”

“Junior?”

“No, Mama, you need to tell me everything or I’m going to have to visit or better yet call Mr. Amos. I know he will give me the 4-1-1.”

“Why in the world would you call Amos?”

“Mr. Amos keeps an eye on you for us.”

What?
I didn’t know whether or not to be offended. It was one thing that Cora, Leesa and Louise were trying to play matchmaker, but my sons had made Amos a spy.
The nerve of these people.

Junior continued, not knowing the turmoil he just caused. “Anyway, if your inquiring mind must know, I think ole Will was surprised to see me, but he seemed pretty excited to spill the news about his investment in some technology startup company.  I guess this Jake fellow is one of the partners. I reminded William that I deal with corporate law and if he had any questions feel free to look me up.”

“An investment in a startup? Here in Charleston?”

“Yep, right in your backyard. Charleston has really grown in the past decade and has been called the Silicon Harbor.”

“Wow, well I didn’t know that.” Still I was thinking there had to be a lot of money at stake. Where was William getting that kind of money to invest in a company? I knew he had power of attorney over Louise’s estate and money. Louise came from money, but it didn’t strike me that she was
that
wealthy for her son to mess over her money.

I shook my head. “This sounds like risky business to me. You said William appeared to look different?”

“He looked really clean, dressed in a real expensive suit. I didn’t think it was William’s style.”

“That’s what I thought when I saw him on Sunday.”

“You saw William before his death? What exactly are you up to, Mama? You’re not snooping around are you?”

“I’m head of the neighborhood watch, Junior. I keep up with incidents like this.”

“What would William’s death have to do with the neighborhood watch?”

I sighed deeply. “I haven’t told you everything. William was trying to sell Louise’s house. There was a buyer next door the night William was killed.  You see there was a woman –”

“Mama, are you saying William was killed next door to you?”

I couldn’t see him, but I’m pretty sure Junior just lifted himself off his seat. I said quietly, “I wasn’t in danger. Amos was here.”

“I’m glad Mr. Amos was there to help protect you, but we don’t need you getting yourself into trouble again, Mama.”

I rolled my eyes. I hadn’t told Junior everything, but at this point, I needed to re-read that little blog post I wrote earlier about stress. “You touch base with Amos, if you want. Everything is fine, so there’s no need for you to be blowing your top at work.”

Junior sighed deeply as if disappointed in me. “I just want you to be careful, Mama.”

“Don’t worry about me. Look, if you get a chance to find out the name of that company or anything else about this Jake fellow, let me know. I need to check on Louise now.”

“Alright, Mama. I will see what I can do. Goodbye.”

I hung up the phone thinking I need to warn Amos that Junior was going to call. Quite frankly I didn’t realize either of my sons had Amos’ phone number.

I picked the phone back up and dialed the nursing home. A voice answered that sounded familiar to me. “Hillcrest Manor Nursing Home, this is Jacqueline Saunders speaking, how may I help you?”

“Yes, Mrs. Saunders I ran into you yesterday. I wanted to check on Louise Hopkins to see how she was doing today.”

It sounded like the nursing home director was talking to someone else.

“Mrs. Saunders, are you still there?”

“Yes, Mrs. Patterson, it was good to meet you yesterday. I’m sorry but Mrs. Hopkins won’t be able to take visitors for a while. She’s really been distraught and we’re watching her carefully.”

I frowned. “Oh my! I hate to hear that. Well, when can I come to see her?”

“Why don’t you check back in a few days? Maybe you would like to view our facilities. We have so many new improvements for our residents. Oh! There’s another call. Thank you for calling Hillcrest Manor Nursing Home.”

I heard a click in my ear. I stared at the phone.
 Was that woman trying to sell me something?
I put the phone down.

I know I left Louise in a pretty bad state yesterday, but I was feeling a bit alarmed that I couldn’t see her. My first instinct was to call back or better yet drive over to the nursing home. But then I remembered Louise’s distraught face and her calling out for August yesterday. It was probably best not to upset her any further.

I might not be able to see Louise at the moment, but I could certainly do what I could to find answers about her son’s death. Since I wasn’t one to sit around and twiddle my thumbs, I knew just the person to go visit instead.

My first thought after I parked at the Charleston Police Department was that I might should have consulted with Amos about what I was about to do.  As I climbed out of the car, I told myself I knew exactly what I was doing because Amos would have calmly talked me out of going to talk to Detective Wilkes. He would have warned me how she wouldn’t share any information and how I should let
her
handle the case.

I had no issues with any of those suggestions. I was left with the feeling that Detective Wilkes had some other ideas that could waste valuable time. She didn’t have a good understanding of the victim.  I believed William, unknowingly, invited his killer to take advantage of him. I just couldn’t come up with the motive. William had been floating around Lord knows where like an overgrown Peter Pan for well over a decade. Why suddenly decide it was time to grow up? What was the investment and who was this partner?

I also had other questions. Was William planning to stay here in Charleston after all these years? Once again I questioned why he put Louise in the nursing home, and why sell a house that’s been in his family for years?

I entered the police station and went to the front desk.  A short officer leaned across the counter. He was graying around the temples and his hairline was receding. He wore his hair in a buzz cut which made his puffy cheeks look not quite as tough as he might have wanted it to appear. He stared at me. “Can I help you, ma’am?”

“Yes, I’m looking for Detective Wilkes. I have some information about the William Hopkins case.”

The officer whose badge read, Officer Gonzalez, responded, “I will see if she’s in. Have a seat over there?” He pointed to hardback plastic chairs across from the desk.

I decided to stand and smiled. “I’ll wait here, son.”

The officer raised his eyebrow, but picked up the phone. “Your name, ma’am?”

“Eugeena Patterson.”

I looked around as he called Detective Wilkes.

Officer Gonzalez placed the phone down and said, “She will be here in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later, Detective Wilkes walked up to me looking weary, with deep circles under her eyes. How could she solve a crime appearing this sleep-deprived?

I frowned, “Honey, do you ever sleep?”

Detective Wilkes barely smiled and her left eye seemed to have a tick going. “I have been suffering a bit of insomnia as of late. What do you have for me, Mrs. Patterson?”

“Well, when you left yesterday, you didn’t really ask information specifically about William. You are going to look into his activities prior to his… well, murder?”

“Mrs. Patterson, I promise you I will turn over every aspect of the victim’s life.”

“What about his sudden access to money?”

Detective Wilkes frowned. “Did Mrs. Hopkins say anything to you?”

“No, but I’ve known William since he was this high.” I brought my hand to my hip. “He’s always had his hand out for money and has lived a rather nomadic lifestyle that’s led him to all
kinds
of people. Louise is not lacking in finances and it’s my understanding William had power of attorney over his mother’s money.”

“Okay, I do understand Mr. Hopkins traveled a bit and he seems to have enjoyed access to money.”

“I’m glad you picked up on that too? Do you remember when Louise got hurt this past summer and her son showed up at the hospital?”

Detective Wilkes shook her head. “I don’t know if I remember seeing her son then.”

“Oh you did, you probably just didn’t match that unkempt man with the ragged ponytail with the one you found on Sunday evening in a very expensive suit.”

Detective Wilkes seemed to perk up for a slight minute. Her eyes flashed. “Okay I get it. Mr. Hopkins definitely had a change in his lifestyle. Mrs. Patterson, I appreciate –”

I held up my hands as though I could physically stop her from dismissing me, “There’s more you should know. According to my sources, William had a business partner and they were investing in something big, some technology startup company here in Charleston.” I didn’t need to let Detective Wilkes know my source was my son.

The detective frowned. “Your source? That’s interesting, Mrs. Patterson.”

“You do know you can call me Eugeena, right?”

The detective shook her head as if she was trying to shake something out of her ears. “Mrs… Eugeena. Look, I’m really glad you came by to enlighten me about William’s lifestyle. I will certainly look into all of this.”

I eyed her and asked, “But you’re still thinking Jocelyn Miller’s showing up on Sunday is highly suspicious.”

“Eugeena.” The detective folded her arms. “I can’t share anything about this case with you.”

I started to twist my hands. “I just don’t want any more heartache to come to this family. There’s a chance that Louise may want to connect with this family and I hate for there to be anything hanging over their heads about William’s death.”

“That’s not my intentions.” Detective Wilkes’ green eyes flashed as she looked off in another direction and then back at me. “You know now that you’re here, I have a question for you.”

“Oh.”

“On Sunday, you mentioned that Mr. Hopkins and Ms. Miller met each other.”

“There weren’t any official introductions, but they saw each other.”

Detective Wilkes leaned in. “I need you to answer this honestly. Did you get any sense that Mr. Hopkins knew Ms. Miller?”

I sucked in a breath. Sometimes I couldn’t stop my reactions if I tried. I had sense enough not to blurt out what first came to mind.

Detective Wilkes looked at me intensely. “Eugeena?”

I let out a sigh. “I don’t want you to take anything out of context.”

“I’m here to pull facts and clues together so I can solve a murder. The tiniest of details can determine if a killer is caught.”

I swallowed. “William was interested in Jocelyn, I thought because he wanted to know who she was. I mean if some strange woman was visiting my mother’s bedside, I would ask the same thing.”

“What did Mr. Hopkins ask?”

“He asked who she was and then a few minutes later he asked if he’d seen her some place before?”

Detective Wilkes seemed to come alive like the Energizer Bunny. “He recognized her?”

“He seemed
to think
he recognized her, but I told you Jocelyn was not the woman at the house on Sunday night.”

“But neither you nor Mr. Jones saw anyone in the dark.”

I desperately wanted to make sure the detective wasn’t going to continue spinning down this path. “I did hear a woman’s voice and I’m pretty sure I would have recognized Jocelyn’s voice.”

Detective Wilkes shook her head. “I’ve dealt with a lot of witnesses and you would be surprised what you remember or don’t remember.” The detective extended her arm to shake my hand. “Eugeena, once again I appreciate you stopping by. Having citizens assist with finding clues really helps solve crimes.”

I looked down at the detective’s hand and shook it. I wasn’t finished yet although I doubt she would tell me. “Do you have something that proves William and Jocelyn met each other before Sunday?”

The detective looked at me solemnly. “Eugeena, I don’t need to tell you that people aren’t always how they appear.”

With that the petite detective walked off leaving me wondering what in the world had the detective found out.