Love and Suspicion Read online

  “Thanks. I didn’t think Mariam would mind, most of her regular customers will be at the game too.”

  “Did you go to Terrell’s?”

  “No, but Crazy Eddie called to tell me all about it. He can’t quite decide if it’s Michael or Jerry’s turn to strike next. It must have cost Jerry a fortune to feed half the town, but he sure got the last laugh.”

  “That’s what Mariam said. It’s interesting, you know, but with all I’ve heard about bad-boy Michael Woodbury, she seems to adores him.”

  “Did she tell you that?”

  “Not exactly, but today she felt sorry for him. As far as I can tell, Michael brought it on himself. She just doesn’t see it that way.”

  “Have you met my Mom yet?”

  “I don’t think so. What is her name again?”

  “Nora. She’s been busy lately, but you’ll meet her when she runs out of books.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” Before Tiffany realized where she was, they were parked outside the high school stadium, and Ben was opening the door for her. “That was fast.”

  “Nothing’s very far away in a small town.” He paid for their tickets and once inside, she knew Ben was right – at least half the town was already there.

  After they found a place to sit, she watched the first pitch and then the second before she asked, “Which team is yours?”

  “The ones wearing white.”

  “Oh.” She scanned the crowd on her end of the horseshoe-shaped outdoor stadium, but didn’t see anyone she knew. Of course, she’d been in town less than a week. She cheered when the home team batter finally hit the ball and then moaned when the man in the other team’s back field caught it. The ball made it to first base before the batter.

  A people-watcher from way back, she was again more interested in looking around than concentrating on the game. One face in particular stood out this time and she didn’t especially like the way he was looking at her. Tiffany nudged Ben, and rudely pointed at her gawker. “Who’s that?”

  “Alex Woodbury.”

  “Really? Michael’s son?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “He does look a lot like his father.”

  “Acts like him too,” Ben said. The next batter hit a home run to the delight of everyone except those who rooted for the other team.

  “So which one is Crazy Eddie?”

  Ben answered, “He doesn’t hang around sporting events. It’s not his thing, I guess.”

  “That’s too bad, I’d like to see what he looks like.”

  “Don’t tell his ex-wife, but he thinks your gorgeous.”

  Tiffany blushed. “Is that why I see his truck so often?”

  “That and he’s the protective type. He says pretty girls are in more danger than average looking girls.”

  “He’s right.”

  “Is he?”

  “You take Kathy Crenshaw. She had a stalker following her that scared everyone half to death.”

  “Was she pretty?”

  “The kind that turns heads when she walks into a room. My dad caught him though, climbing over the Crenshaw’s back fence. Scary to think he was that close to getting to Kathy. After that, her dad installed more outside lighting.”

  “Your dad caught him?”

  “Didn’t I tell you, my dad is a homicide detective.”

  “No, I don’t believe you mentioned that.”

  “Don’t be scared, he’s a nice guy really, and got over trying to frighten my dates away ages ago.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” When she wasn’t looking, Ben rolled his eyes. “Have you told your dad where you are yet?”

  Tiffany intentionally ignored the question. “Now that’s something you don’t see in the big city.”

  “What?”

  “A guy pushing a food cart at a ball game.”

  “Does that mean you’re hungry?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Yes I am. Hotdog or hamburger?”

  “Hamburger.”

  Food, sodas, cheers and moans, and at the end of five innings with no score for the home team, it started to sprinkle, rain and then pour. Ben grabbed Tiffany’s hand and like everyone else, dashed down the bleacher stairs. They followed the fleeing crowd into the parking lot and jumped into Ben’s truck. As soon as they got in, he reached in the back seat for a roll of paper towels and handed them to her. Tiffany’s hair was soaked and it took several to half-way towel dry it. Ben dried his face and arms, and then reached for a plastic trash bag to put the wet towels in.

  “You always come this prepared?” She asked.

  “Like you don’t have paper towels and trash bags in your car?”

  She grinned. “Oh that.” The windows had already fogged up, so she rolled hers down a little. “So what should I know about you, Mr. Ben Coulter?”

  “You should know I’m honest and won’t overcharge you for the repairs.”

  “That’s good news. What else? Were you a nerd in high school, a brainiac or the kind that had to beg for a scholarship?

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On which one will evoke one of your stories. I’m a little wary of letting you think I’m like a guy you truly hated in high school.”

  She turned in her seat a little so she was facing him more. “I assure you I have nothing against any, or even all three of those classifications, unless you were the lazy type. I wouldn’t believe that of you anyway.”

  “Then I confess to being average in sports, scholastics and girls. My interest has always been in fixing cars. I struggled with math, which was never my best subject, but in my chosen field, knowing how to do a few calculations comes in handy. I still have homework sometimes just keeping up with all the new engine parts. I don’t mind. It’s interesting getting to see what’s coming out of the industry next.”

  “Average in girls?”

  “Okay, I was more of a nerd. You’re not going to ask me about old girlfriends are you?”

  “No, I already asked Earl if I would be safe with you.”

  Ben was surprised. “He answered you?”

  “He nodded, and quite emphatically. Did I tell you he let me rent a bedroom in his house? What a relief. The hotel costs a small fortune and I was about to ask if you would give me a second job changing tires. Beverly’s cooking is heavenly. She made breakfast for me this morning, and...”

  “Does Michael know you’re staying there?”

  “I’m sure he does by now. I mentioned it to Mariam. Why would Michael care?”

  “Maybe because he’s Earl’s son and Michael cares about his father?”

  “He sure has a funny way of showing it. Do you know there aren’t any pictures of Earl’s family on the walls? Of course, I haven’t seen all the walls yet, but don’t you find that strange?”

  “Not really. Earl doesn’t speak so Michael gave up trying to visit with him. Earl’s other son comes a couple times a year, but he stays at Michael’s house. If I had to, I’d guess Michael and Earl had a big fight right before Earl stopped talking.”

  “That must be what happened.”

  “Tiffany, don’t believe all the rumors you hear about Michael Woodbury. With all his faults, which I admit are many, he loves his dad. Michael checks on him at least three or four times a day, even if it’s just to drive down main street. If Earl is not on his bench, he calls Beverly to find out why.”

  “Does he? Come to think of it, I met Michael when he came to see if his dad wanted a ride home. Michael’s not that good with women though.”

  “I’d have to agree with you there.”

  “Mariam says Birdie is Michael’s mistress and the cause of all his divorces.”

  “That’s probably true.” He pulled the front of his wet t-shirt away from his skin and blew on it as if it would help dry quicker. “What kind of student were you?”

  “Average, maybe a little above average. My dad insists I go to college but I wanted to take a year off f
irst. I don’t even know what I want to be yet.”

  “Sounds reasonable to me.”

  “Everyone is excited about the picnic,” she said. “They’re expecting a blowup between Michael and Jerry, and I sure wouldn’t want to miss that.”

  Ben chuckled and rolled his window halfway down, “Neither would I. Know what?”

  “What?”

  “It stopped raining. It looks like the game was called and everyone else went home.”

  Tiffany laughed. “Mind giving me a ride to Earl’s?”

  “If you insist.”

  It was still early but Ben drove her straight home. After he opened the truck door for her, he held out his hand. Tiffany took it, and walked beside him to the front door.

  “You know; not many people my age has seen the inside of this house, though we’ve wondered about it several times.”

  “It’s really quite beautiful, although it could use a little updating.”

  “I bet.” When she turned to face him, Ben gently drew her in his arms. He held her for only a moment and then released Tiffany without kissing her. “Good night.”

  She was surprised by his restraint and secretly admired him for it. The door was unlocked, so she opened it wide enough so he could peek inside. “Good night. Next time, don’t let it rain, okay?”

  “I’ll do my best.” He waited for her to close the door and then went to his truck.

  Inside the house, three curtains moved aside just a little – the one downstairs with Tiffany peeking out, the one in the dining room where Beverly watched, and in Earl’s bedroom upstairs. Earl kept his eyes on the truck all the way down the street, and until it disappeared around a corner before he let his curtain close.

  LATER THAT EVENING, Deputy Rod Keller drove to the address he stuffed in his pocket to see what he could learn about Chuck Hanson, the man mentioned in the Woodbury kidnapping file.

  “He’s long gone,” said the woman who came out of her farmhouse to see what he wanted.

  She invited him in for coffee but he declined. “I’m looking into the Woodbury kidnapping...” he started.

  “Oh. I suppose you found that letter I wrote accusing my step-brother of being in on it.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Can you tell me about that?”

  “Well, we’d been fighting over this farm for about six months after our parents died. I say our parents, but it was actually his mother and my father. They’d only been married a year or so when they died in a freak snowstorm on the Interstate. It was a horrible accident – seven cars and two semi-trucks were already piled up by the time our parents hit the back end of the pile.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too. Anyway, the place was mine...or rather my father’s and Chuck thought he should get an equal share since Dad married his mother. He wanted it in cash too, which meant selling the place. That’s something I had no intention of agreeing to.”

  “You stayed and he went?” Rod asked.

  “After a court battle. The judge finally decided in my favor and Chuck drove off, never to be seen or heard from again. I don’t think he had a dime to his name when he left.”

  “When was that?”

  “Oh, let me think. It was after the kidnapping of course, and the judgement wasn’t handed down until a couple of weeks after I sent that letter to the Sheriff. I was just mad at the time. I don’t really think Chuck had anything to do with the kidnapping. However...”

  When she paused, Rod waited, but when she didn’t continue, he asked, “However what?”

  “Well, Chuck was tight with Michael Woodbury. I always did wonder if Michael had something to do with that mess.” She dropped her eyes. “Poor baby Tiffany. We searched this property, every inch of it. All the farmers searched their land, but none of us found a thing. By the way, does Michael know you’re digging into this case?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “He’s not going to be happy.”

  Rod politely thanked her, got in his car and drove away. Finding Chuck Hanson might help shed some light on the situation, but he wasn’t ready to do a full search for anyone...not just yet. Instead, he pulled off the road and put a note in the notebook he decided to bring along that morning.

  For the second time, someone said they thought Michael was behind the kidnapping. Rod wondered what Earl would do if he found out his son was guilty. Michael and his brother stood to gain the most, but what kind of son would do that to his own father? On the other hand, Chuck Hanson lost his lawsuit and then just left town. Was he truly penniless or did he have all or part of the ransom money to take with him. One million dollars in cold hard, unmarked cash nearly twenty years ago could take a man anywhere in the world he wanted to go.

  WHEN THE TINY SET OF bells rang on the bookstore door Friday afternoon, Tiffany found herself face to face with Deputy Rod Keller. With all the rumors in town about a deputy reopening the case, it wasn’t hard to guess why he was there.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” said Rod as he reached out his hand.

  She firmly shook it. “Tiffany Clark.” When Mariam noticed him, Tiffany thought her boss looked a little like a deer caught in the headlights.

  At length, she pushed her glasses up her nose and started to the front. “I suppose you are looking for me,” Mariam said.

  Rod removed his hat. “I am, if you are Mariam Eggelston.”

  “Truly, I have nothing to add to what I told the sheriff all those years ago.”

  Tiffany gently touched Mariam’s arm, “Would you like me to leave?”

  “No dear,” Mariam answered. “I have nothing to say that you can’t hear.”

  “Mrs. Eggleston, I’m curious about Shelley Woodbury. Had you known her before she married Earl Woodbury?”

  “Not really,” Mariam answered. “As far as I know she was a newcomer to Blue Falls.”

  “Do you know where she came from?”

  “Nevada, I think, maybe not. Sorry, Deputy, but it was a long time ago.”

  He set his hat on the counter and then folded his arms. “I understand. Mrs. Eggleston, do you think her death was an accident, suicide or murder?”

  Mariam’s eyes widened. “Murder? No, I don’t...it could have been, I suppose, but who would want to kill her?”

  “The sheriff found a plate and two forks in the sink.”

  “I remember.”

  “Is it possible Mrs. Woodbury had someone over after Earl went to bed?”

  Mariam hesitated. “I guess you’ll find out anyway so you might as well hear it from me. There was a lot going on in that house Earl didn’t know about.”

  “That you didn’t tell him and didn’t tell the sheriff either?” Rod asked.

  “You have to understand; Earl was crushed after Shelley died. Maybe crushed isn’t the right word. Never will I forget how I found him standing in the garden just staring at Shelley’s lifeless body. He looked...you might say, betrayed. Yes, that’s the right word for it, betrayed. I don’t know a thing about how to tell if someone is still alive, but I did try to find a pulse. When I couldn’t, I called for help.”

  Mariam swallowed hard before she continued, “He just stood there the whole time while the coroner came and pronounced her dead. Even then, he didn’t move a muscle. They loaded her on the gurney and took Shelley away. I thought we’d lost Earl that day. I did the dinner dishes and went to bed, but I could hear him walking from room to room all through the night. By then, they’d dragged the lake without finding the baby’s body. I tell you, Deputy, nothing in my life has been as awful as that week was.”

  “I understand. Mrs. Eggleston, the picture of Shelley shows an unbroken glass sitting upright next to her body. Do you remember touching it?”

  “The sheriff asked that too. I don’t think I did, but I could have.” Mariam glanced out the window and saw one of her friends looking at the deputy. Instead of coming in, her friend dashed away, which made Mariam close her eyes for a moment.

  “Do you remember wha
t kind of pills Shelley was taking?”

  Mariam relaxed a little more, now that the deputy didn’t come across as accusing her of anything – at least not yet. “I don’t. She wasn’t a pill-popper that I knew of, but it was curious that she already had them on hand after the kidnapping.”

  Rod considered that. “So you don’t know if they were prescription or something she might have gotten from a friend?”

  “No. It was probably two weeks before I went to wash all her bedding and straighten up. By then, even the FBI had gone through everything.”

  “Was Earl surprised she had the pills too?”

  “Deputy Keller, Earl was in such a sad state, he barely said a word to me the entire time.”

  “I see.” Rod started to pick his hat up and then thought better of it. “You didn’t check on the baby that night, correct?”

  “I had no reason to. She was old enough to sleep through the night. Both Earl and Shelley made a habit of regularly checking on her, so I normally just went to bed.” Instead of pushing her glasses up her nose, Mariam took them off and laid them on the counter. “I wish I had checked, but...”

  Rod nodded. “Have you remembered anything since, that you might not have mentioned to the sheriff?”

  Mariam did not hide her annoyance. “The sheriff practically accused me of taking the baby, so I didn’t tell him much at all.”

  “But you did hear or see something?”

  “Well, it wasn’t much of a noise. It was just a click.”

  To Tiffany, Mariam looked exceptionally tired with her glasses off. She went to the cooler, and brought back a paper cup full of cold water for both Mariam and the deputy.

  “Thank you,” said Rod. He took a sip and then continued, “The noise you heard, was it like a door or a window being unlocked?”

  “No, not like that.” Mariam nodded her appreciation to Tiffany, and then emptied her paper cup before she answered. “It was more like a clink. I didn’t hear anything break, so I thought nothing of it.”

  “Could the noise be something like a fork dropping on the kitchen floor or in the sink?”