Love and Suspicion Read online

  Next, Rod took a closer look at Shelley Woodbury’s interview. The sheriff interviewed the distraught mother in her home and not down at the office. Several times, the interview was stopped so Mrs. Woodbury could dry her tears and pull herself together. However, Rod did notice that it was the more probing questions that caused her to break down and guessed it was an act just to buy time for her to think of the best answer.

  Just as the report said, Shelley Woodbury claimed she put the baby down around 10:00 and went to check on her baby before she headed to bed at around two o’clock in the morning. She went to wake Earl, and together they went downstairs to see if Mariam had the baby.

  “Together?”

  Rod leafed back through the material until he found Mariam’s statement. No, Shelley was not with Earl when he burst into Mariam’s room. Rod flipped back to Shelley’s testimony. Mrs. Woodbury thought she screamed then, but didn’t remember exactly.

  Question: Your husband said you screamed before that and that’s what woke him up.

  Answer: Did I? (sobs)

  Question: Mrs. Woodbury, could your husband have harmed the baby?

  Answer: (Long pause) I can’t imagine him doing that. He loves Tiffany.

  Question: I have to ask, you understand. Mrs. Woodbury, did you accidentally harm her?

  Answer: Of course not. (uncontrollable sobs)

  When he tried to turn the page, Rod discovered two pages were stuck together. As soon as he carefully separated the two, he discovered a picture of Mrs. Shelley Woodbury and more closely examined it. She was a pleasant looking woman in her late thirties or early forties, with a somewhat seductive smile. Rod could certainly see why Earl was attracted to her, if indeed that’s why he married her.

  Rod took the picture out and put it in his notebook. It would help to have a picture of her when he questioned people. He knew law enforcement started videotaping interrogations in the late 1980s, but a small town like Blue Falls probably couldn’t afford the expensive equipment. Too bad, too. Rod would have liked seeing the expressions on Shelley’s face during the interview.

  Once more, he looked at the Police photo of her lifeless body in the garden. “What happened to you, Mrs. Woodbury?” Rod whispered.

  When the phone rang, he instantly answered it. “Tiffany?”

  “Yep, Earl doesn’t want to talk to you. He said it isn’t time yet, whatever that means.”

  “Okay, I can live with that, although I would like to see the inside of his house – just to get a lay of the place.”

  “I’ll ask him. Rod I was going to tell you last night at Nancy’s, but I didn’t think I should. Earl said to tell you that when he went to see what his wife was screaming about, the baby’s bottle was still warm.” Rod didn’t say anything and Tiffany gave him plenty of time to comment. “I’ll be in touch.” With that, she disconnected the call.

  Rod was completely taken aback as he hung up and set his cellphone on the table. He’d read Earl’s statement several times and there was nothing about a warm baby bottle. He thoughtfully rubbed his forehead. Shelley forgot the bottle! That’s why she was looking out the window, wondering if her accomplice would come back for it. Instead, her accomplice went to the store to by milk, and left the baby in the car where Samantha saw it. But why didn’t Earl mention the warm bottle to Otis? Because he suspected Shelley and couldn’t believe his wife could do such a thing? There was no doubt in Rod’s mind that he was right about her from the start. Shelley was in on the kidnapping, and was likely murdered to keep her quiet.

  An hour later, Rod was in bed and nearly asleep when his eyes shot wide open. Why feed a baby if you intended to kill it? Why not just suffocate it when it started to cry? Because...he wanted the baby alive in case Earl demands proof that he had her. He picked up the ransom, killed the baby and her mother, and then he was rich and a thousand miles away before anyone was the wiser.

  Kill her how?

  “An injection,” Rod whispered. Shelley met him at an arranged time in the garden, he gave her an injection saying it would help her calm down. When she passed out, he picked her up, and laid her right in front of the fountain where someone was sure to find her the next morning. And the glass? Of course, her accomplice knew someone might hear a breaking glass, so he made sure it didn’t break. He also knew the coroner would check for barbiturates if there was a glass nearby and not look for an injection site on her body.

  Only one question remained – who was the man?

  BIRDIE FINISHED CHECKING a family of four out of the Bed and Breakfast, hung the key to their room on the hook behind the counter, and watched through her big picture window as they got in their car before she joined Pamela on the sofa. “What brings you out here this early in the morning?”

  “I’ve been up half the night. I’m worried, Birdie, It’s only a matter of time until that deputy gets around to us, and we need to get our stories straight.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that too. Didn’t you tell the sheriff Michael was home with you all night?”

  “Yes, but people saw him with you, so I had to admit I lied.”

  “And then I lied and said he was with me,”

  “Right,” said Pamela. “Michael said as soon as he heard, he went to be with Earl and stayed with him all night.”

  “Is that what Earl told the sheriff?”

  Pamela sighed. “I have no idea what Earl told the sheriff. The thing is, you said no one called Michael that night, so how did he know?”

  Birdie closed her eyes and tried to think. “He wasn’t with me all night, remember? He left around eleven and I have no idea where he was after that. The baby wasn’t kidnapped until around two the next morning.”

  “So he could have taken the baby, couldn’t he?”

  “Pamela, what are you saying? Michael is a stupid man on most days, but he’s not that stupid.”

  “I know, I know. I keep telling myself he wouldn’t do that to Earl either.”

  Birdie stared at the Woodbury tile on her floor. “Do you suppose he was already seeing Andrea back then?”

  “Oh, now wouldn’t that be rich? We’d only been married two years in 1998.”

  Birdie grinned. “They said Michael did look a little pained when he married Andrea.”

  “I heard that too. Well, I doubt she would admit it if he was already seeing her, so since we don’t know where he was, I guess we’re stuck with our lies.”

  “I suppose so.” Birdie touched the back of Pamela’s hand. “Feel better?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t get much sleep last night either.”

  “More nightmares?”

  “Unfortunately.” Birdie watched as one of her maids came down the stairs. “Guess I better get back to work.”

  Pamela crossed the lobby and headed into the bar, “I need a drink.”

  “Help yourself.” She waited, and then closed her eyes and shook her head. “Lies, upon lies, upon more lies. I swear this will never end.” When she opened them again, a sheriff’s cruiser was pulling into the parking lot. “Show time,” said Birdie as she went back behind the counter and waited.

  The first thing Rod noticed when he walked in, was the head of a brown bear mounted on the wall above the sofa. He slowly drew his eyes away and nodded to the pretty woman watching him. It wasn’t hard to guess who she was. “Birdie?”

  “Deputy,” she answered.

  He motioned toward the bear. “You shoot it?”

  “Hardly. My parents bought this place from an old man, who held out as long as he could to get the outrageous price he wanted, and then died before he could spend the money.” She returned Rod’s smile. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m hoping you can answer a few questions.”

  “About the kidnapping?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Are you hoping to ask Pamela Woodbury a few questions too, because if you are, you’re in luck. She’s in the bar.” Birdie came around to the front of the counte
r and opened the back door. “I don’t suppose I can offer you a drink, but you can have coffee, soda or tea. Take your pick?”

  “A soda will do just fine.” He followed her in, glanced around and noticed the place was empty except for three women sitting at the bar. Rod nodded to each of Michael’s ex-wives.

  “We meet for coffee every Thursday,” Birdie announced as she put her apron on. She filled a glass with ice, added the soda, and then set the glass in front of Rod. “You met them at the picnic, but in case you’ve forgotten, this is Pamela, Andrea and Jolie Woodbury.”

  “Ladies.”

  “I lied,” Pamela abruptly said, “but I guess you know that already.” She kept an eye on Andrea’s reaction as she continued. “I was married to him, but Michael wasn’t with me that night; he was with Birdie.”

  Andrea didn’t noticeably react, but Jolie did. “I thought you said Birdie didn’t sleep with Michael while he was married to one of us.”

  Pamela was caught and had no idea what to say. Thankfully, Birdie answered, “Jolie, that was the only time. I learned my lesson that night and it never happened again.”

  Jolie didn’t look too convinced, but she let it go.

  “Do any of you know where Michael was the next night?” Rod asked.

  Neither Birdie nor Pamela were prepared for that question. “The next night?” Pamela asked.

  “Yes,” Rod answered, “the night the ransom was picked up.”

  “Well,” Pamela scoffed, “He sure didn’t bring a million dollars’ home to me, I can tell you that much. If he had, I would have asked for a much higher settlement in the divorce.”

  “Deputy,” Birdie said, “Michael isn’t clever enough to pull that off.”

  “Yes,” Andrea interrupted, “but he has more money than he makes, at least he did when I was married to him.”

  “More than you were able to spend?” Pamela asked. “I’m shocked.”

  “What in the world is wrong with you today, Pamela,” Andrea asked. “Did I somehow become your worst enemy over night?”

  “Maybe,” Pamela said before she thought better of it. “I was just wondering if...”

  “Just a few more question,” Rod interrupted. “Did either of you see Jason Woodbury that weekend?” Rod was surprised when both women giggled. “What?”

  “You’ve been talking to Emma,” Pamela said. “She saw him in town that day, or so she has said all these years, but truly, Jason could have cared less about this town or anyone in it. After his mother died, he washed his hands of the whole place, even his father.”

  “Poor Earl,” said Andrea. “Two wives’ dead, a daughter kidnapped, and a son who wanted nothing to do with him. All he had left was Michael and little Alex. That might have been enough for some people, but Earl just closed himself off from the world. The sorrow was just too much for him.”

  Pamela rolled her eyes. “What would you know about it, you didn’t even know Michael existed at the time, right?”

  Andrea turned to look Pamela in the eye. “Right! But I was part of the family at one time too, you may recall. I’m just saying how sad it was for Alex and Gloria to have a grandfather who didn’t care one iota about them their whole lives.”

  Rod cleared his voice to get their attention. “Did any of you know Shelley, I mean Mrs. Woodbury?”

  This time it was Birdie who glanced at Pamela’s reaction before she answered. “She came in here a time or two, that I recall.”

  “Maybe a little more often than a time or two.” Pamela corrected. “Birdie, who was that guy she used to come in with?”

  “I don’t remember,” Birdie answered.

  Jolie smirked. “Michael loves telling people how much he hated Shelley.”

  “Why did he hate her,” Rod asked, but Jolie realized her mistake, hung her head, and didn’t answer. “Did Michael know Shelley before she married Earl?”

  “I don’t know,” said Pamela while Birdie shrugged.

  “Do you recall if she came in here with him before she married Earl?” Rod asked Birdie.

  “Sorry, deputy,” Birdie answered. “It was too long ago.”

  “After,” Pamela corrected. “Don’t you remember her flashing her wedding ring around?”

  “That’s right, she did. It must have been after,” said Birdie.

  “Does the name Charles Hadley sound familiar?” Rod asked.

  Pamela frowned. “I think his name was Charles, something.”

  When Birdie looked at Rod, she said, “I don’t think I ever knew his name.”

  “Shelley used to give him a check,” Pamela added. “I don’t know what for though.”

  “What a memory,” Andrea scoffed. “How come you can’t remember where Michael was the next night?”

  Pamela ignored her and so did Rod. “Do you remember if you saw him after the kidnapping?”

  “Not right after,” Birdie answered. “We were all out looking for the baby and the place was locked up for three days.”

  Rod decided he’d asked enough questions. “Thank you ladies, you’ve been...I wonder, did Michael have a key to Earl’s house?”

  “Sure,” Pamela answered. “when Jason lost his key, Michael had a new one made off of his.”

  “Was that before or after the kidnapping?”

  Pamela answered, “I’m not positive, but I think it was the summer before.”

  Rod put two dollars on the bar, left his untouched sodas, and tipped his hat. “Ladies.”

  Birdie took her apron off and came around to walk him out. At the front door, she said, “I truly don’t think Michael was behind the kidnapping and I know him better than anyone. Like I said, he’s just not that smart.”

  “I appreciate your help.” Rod could hear raised voices coming from the bar, opened the door and then nodded that direction. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” Birdie said with a grin. She closed the door and then hurried back. Behind the bar, she set out four shot glasses and began to fill them with Vodka.

  “You shouldn’t have mentioned Michael’s Shelley stories,” said Andrea.

  Jolie shrugged. “Well, it’s hardly a secret. He tells them every chance he gets and to anyone who will listen.”

  “You have to admit they’re pretty funny,” Pamela said. “Especially the one about her claiming to be a direct descendent of Louis IV, as if Michael would be impressed. Nothing impresses Michael except what he hopes to inherit when Earl passes away.”

  “You know,” said Birdie, “There is one thing about Michael that always bothered me. Where does he get all that money he throws around?”

  “I asked him that once,” said Jolie, “and he told me to mind my own business.”

  “You think he figured out a way to get the ransom money?” Andrea asked.

  “I don’t see how, unless...” Pamela started.

  “Unless what?” Birdie asked.

  “Well, if he wasn’t with either of us the night of the kidnapping, and he was with Earl instead, he might have heard where the money was to be...”

  “Wait a minute,” said Jolie, “Michael wasn’t with either of you that night? Birdie, didn’t you just tell the cop, Michael was with you?”

  Birdie set the first filled shot glass in front of Jolie. “You mean, did we lie about who he was with that night – or did we lie to you, about my sleeping with him while he was married? You decide.”

  Jolie wrinkled her brow. “Both, probably.”

  Birdie ignored her and handed out the rest of the drinks. “All I remember is Michael being upset about Earl putting everything he owned up to get the bank to give him the money.”

  “So where was he the next night when the ransom was picked up?” Jolie asked.

  “He was probably with Andrea,” Pamela sneered.

  “Have you lost your mind, Pamela?” Andrea asked. “I was what, eight years old at the time? I was only nineteen when I married him.”

  “I forgot about that,” Pamela admitted.

  The four o
f them saluted Michael, downed their shots, and then took a moment to calm down.

  “Do you really think Michael was involved in the kidnapping?” Jolie asked.

  “I don’t,” said Andrea. “I can’t imagine him pulling something like this off and staying quiet about it all these years.”

  “She’s right,” Birdie agree. “If Michael did it, he would have bragged about it by now.”

  “Then who did?” Jolie asked.

  Andrea pushed her shot glass toward Birdie, “I’m buying this time.”

  Birdie grabbed the bottle and poured another round. “Maybe that new cop can figure it out – we never have.”

  “So did you tell him the truth or not?” Jolie insisted.

  She exchanged glances with Pamela before Birdie answered, “Most of it.”

  CHAPTER 10

  MICHAEL WAS NOT HAPPY to find his son standing around at the entrance to the warehouse just talking to one of the girls, who should herself have been working.

  As soon as she saw him, the girl took off – Alex did not. “What’s up, Pops?”

  “I told you not to call me that!” Michael shouted. He grabbed Alex by the arm and turned him around. “Come with me.”

  “What for?”

  “Help me find that long tube that came in last week.” He started down the rows and rows of boxed and ready to be ship tiles on the top floor of the warehouse. On the floor below, the equipment used to produce the tiles continued to roar.

  “Oh that,” Alex whispered. “He was about to get yelled at for opening the tube to see what was inside, so he was not about to help his father find it. He pretended to look on this shelf and that, all the while stalling for time. Unfortunately for him, his father found the tube on a top shelf, grabbed a ladder, and climbed up.

  Michael noticed the opened end, frowned, and handed the tube down to Alex. “You know what’s inside?”

  “Dad, I...”

  “Well, then, you know who it’s for, right?”

  “Jerry?”

  “Of course, Jerry.” Michael stepped down and took the tube back. “He’ll have the last word over my dead body.”