Tied With a Bow and No Place to Go (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 3) (27 page)

“Doyle. He has more than one motive. The land, since he
stood to make a lot of money on it—and if he found out about his wife and Jay
Roy, that’s motive number two.” Ridge drummed his fingers on the arm of the
small sofa. “The problem is Doyle’s not the type to let his victim die in his
sleep. He’d want Jay Roy to know his identity, and he’d want the chicken farmer
to suffer.” Ridge rolled his neck one way and then the other. “A woman hired
Pruett, so that throws a kink in things. I guess Doyle could have gotten a female
to do his dirty work. Even have her wear the hat to make Lounell appear guilty.
That way, he’d get even with his wife and her lover.”

“You’re over-thinking this.” Tizzy’s hand stroked his back.
“Your muscles are tense. No wonder you can’t relax.”

“No kidding.” He leaned forward and dangled his hands
between his legs. His neck hurt. His head hurt. Hell, everything hurt. “I don’t
see a motive for Lounell—and if she did it and went to the trouble of using a
disguise, why a hat that would be associated with her? That makes no sense.”

“Maybe Jay Roy planned to tell Doyle. That’s motive. There’s
no automatic alimony in Texas, just possible spousal maintenance, and that’s
only good for a few years. If Doyle divorced her, she’d be out in the cold.
She’d have to get a job. Not to mention how important appearances are to her.
She’d be devastated by such a scandal.”

Ridge groaned. “She’d get half their assets and that’s a
nice amount, but if Jay Roy exposed their affair, he’d lose a lover. So why do
it?”

Tizzy folded her feet under her hips, rose to her knees and
placed her hands on Ridge’s shoulders. “You’re right. It’s not Lounell, so
we’re back to Doyle. He found out about the two of them on his own, and killed
Jay Roy out of jealousy. Turn around.”

“Why?”

“Let me relieve some of the tightness in your back.” She
waited until he turned, then started massaging.

He let his head drop forward. “Oh, Baby, that’s what I
need.”

She dug her fingers in deeper and moved higher. “On Jay
Roy’s phone, were there calls to Lounell? Because if they were fooling around,
they’d be contacting each other to arrange meetings.”

“Not to a number in her name.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means there was a number I can’t match up to any of the
classmates—a little lower and to the left.”

She followed directions and rubbed in small circles. “That
makes sense. If I was having an affair, I’d want a secret phone. To ID the
number, why don’t you call it and see who answers?” She scooted to the end of
the loveseat. “Lie back and put your head in my lap.”

“I’m too tall to fit on this thing.”

“Hang your legs over the arm.”

“Okay.” He flipped to his back. “There’s a problem with
calling. The owner more than likely has caller ID and won’t take a call from a
number they don’t recognize. It also alerts them and they’d get rid of the
phone or the app, if they haven’t already.”

“Okay. Why not get a warrant for Lounell’s credit card
receipts and phone records? If you connect a burner phone to her that could
break the case.”

“I suppose I could. The description of the hat is enough
probable cause. But it doesn’t have to be a separate phone.”

Tizzy circled his face with her fingertips, barely touching
the skin. “Whataya mean?”

“Damn,” he sighed. “That feels fantastic. You can buy a
secret number for your phone, use it a while, then delete the app as if it
never existed.”

“Wow. They have apps for everything these days.” Tizzy
shifted. “Relax. But the number still shows up on a phone record, right?”

“Yeah. But it would be a dead number. Somebody calls it,
nothing happens. Dead end. Dead Jay Roy. No trail to follow.”

“There has to be another way. How many companies offer that
service?”

“I see where you’re going, and you’re right, there aren’t
that many. I can request records from those businesses. They usually cooperate
because they don’t want their service to be used for a crime, but the process
takes time.”

“Earlier, you said Paula Kay was the blue ribbon person, but
didn’t have motive or contact with Jay Roy. But he told me he was meeting her.
If someone convinced him of that, he was set-up.”

“Mmm.”

Tizzy stopped stroking and poked his shoulder. “Don’t go to
sleep. Let me pretend I killed him.”

His eyes popped open. “Huh?”

“You listen. I’ll talk.”

He relaxed again. “Okay, but don’t stop what you’re doing.”

“First, I’d have to know about the ribbons.”

“Almost every woman I’ve questioned knew.”

“Shhh. And that he drank whiskey.”

“Again, public information.”

Tizzy wiggled his nose. “Hush. I’m walking through this step
by step. In order to make him believe he was meeting Paula, I’d know she was
the one he always wanted.”

“Again, no secret there.”

She stopped stroking his face. “Do you want me to help you
with this or not?”

“Sorry. I want your help. Keep doing that face thing. I’ll
be quiet.”

“Good.” She resumed. “So the question is how do I get Jay
Roy to the meeting place and convince him Paula Kay would be there?” Tizzy
tapped her foot and Ridge’s head bobbed in rhythm.

“Ow. You’re shaking my brain,” he said.

She stopped. “Sorry. Now, to lay the trap, I call Jay Roy
and pretend to be Paula Kay and set up a meeting. I hire the boy which points
the finger at him. I wear a big red hat, which points the finger at Lounell. I
get Pattiecake to deliver it, which points the finger at her. But Doyle has the
land deal which points the finger at him. My money’s on Doyle.”

“But poison isn’t a man’s choice . . .” Ridge started and
Tizzy jiggled her knee under his head.

“Okay, I’ll shut up,” he said.

“Right. Forget how poison is more a woman’s choice. As an
attorney, Doyle’s smart enough to make it look like a woman committed the
crime. Plus, he lied to you. Doyle’s the one.” Tizzy combed her fingers through
Ridge’s hair.

He opened his eyes and stared up at her. “God help me, if I
wasn’t already married to you, I’d propose on the spot. Darlin,’ you’ve got
magic hands.”

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, her breasts
grazing his face. He turned his head to nestle against them. “Mmm, those feel
good, too.”

She sat back. “Hey, stay on task. What about my theory?”

He sat up. “Who’d he get to pose as Lounell in the red hat?”

Tizzy crossed her legs Indian style. “No clue. But what if
they both did it? Lounell got pissed when she found out Jay Roy intended to
marry Molly again. Doyle had the loan working in his favor, so they planned it
together. Lounell couldn’t tell Doyle the real reason. She’d pretend she wanted
the land, too.”

Ridge relaxed against the sofa. “It’s possible, I guess.”

“Are you nuts? It makes perfect sense.”

He glanced at the clock. “I’m going back to bed. Thanks to
you, I’m sleepy. You coming?”

“I’m right behind you. Wait. One more question. How could
Lounell trick him into thinking he was meeting Paula?”

“When I questioned Paula today, I noticed a pronounced drawl
to her voice. Turns out, she spoke to Lounell and a couple of other classmates
in the last month. Plus, that’s the beauty of those prank phone apps. You can
use them to disguise your voice, too.”

Three hours later Ridge made his way to the police station
and found Rita making coffee and Bubba reading the paper. “Good morning,” Ridge
said, but couldn’t think of anything good about the early hour. He blinked and
his lids scratched against his eyeballs like sandpaper. At least his muscles
were less tense thanks to Tizzy. He flopped into the nearest chair.

“You don’t look like it’s a good morning,” Rita said.

He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. A
headache began to throb just below his temples. He removed a bottle of eye
drops from his shirt pocket, unscrewed the lid, tilted his head back and added
some to each eye. “I didn’t sleep last night.”

“I didn’t sleep a wink!”
Willie sang out.

Rita placed the pot on the burner and flipped the switch.
“Well, the fingerprints from the truck won’t improve your mood. None matched
Jay Roy’s or anyone else included in the case. Also, Doyle bonded out this
morning. But here’s a bit of news that might make you happier.” She grinned.
“Jay Roy won’t be at his funeral today.”

“What?” Ridge blinked again and tried to focus, the drops
already made his eyes better. Once he got pain reliever and coffee in his
system, he’d be okay. “We won’t get fireworks today? I’m crushed.”

“I can see that.” Bubba, sprawled in the other chair, pushed
the paper aside. “After that crap at the funeral home yesterday, the family
didn’t want to take a chance on something happening again, so they had a
private burial yesterday at twilight.”

Ridge managed a weary chuckle. “I can’t say that I blame
them. No need to risk another altercation and dealing with those three crazy exes,
no doubt, there’d be one.” He heard the pot make its final gurgle, so he
reached into his briefcase, found the Ibuprofen, opened the lid and shook out a
couple of tablets.

From the next room, Willie squawked again.
“One too many!
One has my name!”

Rita brought a mug of coffee along with a glass of water and
set them in front of Ridge. “They claim to love Jay Roy, but they hate each
other more than they ever loved him.”

“Love makes a fool. Love makes a fool!”

Rita pivoted and spoke to the bird through the wall. “You
got that right, Willie.”

Bubba rattled the paper again. “I read your suspect list.
Have you decided who your number one is? You have plenty of choices.”

“Why do I have to choose?”

Ridge nodded thanks to Rita, popped the pills in his mouth
and swallowed them with a gulp of water. “Right now, Doyle and Lounell. They
had the most to gain—right? But according to Doyle, Mr. Hobbs is going to pay
off the loan, so if they did kill Jay Roy, it was for nothing.”

“But at the time of the murder, they didn’t know that,”
Bubba said.

“Right.” Ridge shook his head and looked at Rita. “I need a
warrant for their phone records.” He pulled a sheet of paper from his notebook
and handed it to her. “Contact these three phone application companies for a
match to the number I have listed there. They may furnish it without paperwork.
If not, we’ll need a subpoena for them. Also, call the car rental places in
Tyler and see if any of the classmates rented a silver Altima while they’ve
been here. I apologize for asking you to do so much calling, but it will be
helpful.”

“Hello love, goodbye. Hello love, goodbye,”
the
parrot squawked.

“That bird is getting smarter. He connected phone and
calling with hello and goodbye. That amazes me. Now if he could connect a
suspect to the case, I’d take Willie off your hands and give him a home,” he
said to Rita.

“Hands on the wheel! Homeward bound!”

“Geez.” Rita laughed. “You’re too late. He’s found one—at
McAlister’s Tavern.”

“One has my name, the other has my heart. One has my
name, the other has my heart.”

“You’re kidding.” Ridge laughed with her and his headache
eased. “That’s good news. I’ll confess. I was going to miss him once I moved to
my new office.”

“I’m confessin’ that I love you! I miss you so!”

Jinx appeared in the doorway. “A bar is more appropriate
than a police station anyway. Drunken cowboys will love him.”

“Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other!”
Willie screamed.

“Oh my Lord, that’s funny. I’m going to miss him.” Rita
said. “I’ll get those warrants going.”

“As much as I hate to, I gotta get to work. Oh, by the way,
Rayann and I are having a get-together next week to introduce Olivia to
everyone. Could y’all come?” Bubba asked.

“You bet,” Jinx said.

“I’d love to,” Rita answered.

“Me, too,” Ridge agreed.

“Great. That’ll make Rayann happy. Call me if you need me,”
Bubba said and walked away.

“I’m here for my bird,” Jinx said.

“What made you decide to take Willie?” Ridge asked.

Jinx strolled to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup,
then held the pot in midair. “Refill? Okay. Well, it was those wild stories
I’ve been hearing. Sounded as if he’d be a good attraction for the place.” Jinx
topped off the ranger’s mug. “That’s not a deal breaker for you taking the
office space, is it? Because, after you and Tizzy initiated it, I’m not sure I
can lease it to anyone else.” Jinx laughed.

“Nope, not backing out.” The two men clinked mugs in a
toast. “Say, I found out earlier they buried Jay Roy last night, so he won’t be
present at the service today. If it’s alright with you, after the memorial,
I’ll invite the congregation to the tavern for a reception. I need your help to
pull off my plan.”

“Always glad to help in a scheme.”

“I found the boy yesterday and he’s coming. The woman who
hired him wore a disguise, but Justin’s sure he can recognize her voice. If we
can get the suspects in one place, the shock of him showing up may be enough to
do the trick.”

“Understood.” Jinx pulled out a chair and sat. “Good idea.
I’ll ask Mom if she and Pattiecake will bring snacks. Free food and booze are
always enough to draw a crowd. The service is at one, so let’s say the
reception will start at two. I’ll call the preacher and get him to announce it
at the funeral. You got a backup plan if Pruett can’t make an ID?”

His headache now almost gone, Ridge drank more coffee and
sighed in relief. The combination of pain reliever and caffeine worked its
magic. “I have a number from Jay Roy’s records that I can’t match to anyone.
More than likely, it’s a temporary number. I’m betting it’s connected to the
case. Possibly a married woman he was having an affair with or—and this is a
guess—someone made Jay Roy think he was meeting the one that got away, Paula
Kay Burgess.” Ridge recalled his earlier meeting with Paula and the perfection
of her. “She’s got to be the blue ribbon recipient. Once I get records from the
companies offering secret number apps, hopefully, I’ll get a match. But that
might take a while.”