Love and Suspicion Page 22

  “That’s a thought,” Alex whispered as he followed his father back down a middle row.

  THE NEXT MORNING, JERRY pulled his car to a screeching halt in his parking lot, opened the car door, put one foot out and stood up. In complete and utter shock, he gasped at the huge picture of a nude woman on the side of his building. The caption read, GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS! Just then, a semi-truck traveling down the Interstate loudly honked his horn to show his appreciation.

  Jerry said a few choice words, slammed his car door shut, and walked up to the wall. Thankfully, the picture was only taped on, although the tape, he discovered, was an industrial type he knew would not be easily removed. He needed water and a lot of it, but a hose was something he neglected to buy.

  Jerry got back in his car and went home to get his garden hose.

  Not far away, Crazy Eddie laughed and then checked his video. As he’d hoped, he’d caught all of Jerry’s reaction, and had several excellent shots of the nude. Of course, certain parts of the woman needed a little blurring before he showed it to the more sensitive members of Blue Falls, but that could be easily done when he got home. He hopped in, started his truck, and sped on down the road to do just that.

  JUST AS TIFFANY FINISHED getting ready for work, Beverly knocked on her bedroom door. “Come in.”

  “Have you seen it yet?” she breathed. “Michael put a gigantic picture of a nude woman on the side of Jerry’s building.”

  Tiffany hurried to her laptop, turned it on and found Crazy Eddie’s post. “Oh no,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand. “Jerry might just kill Michael this time.”

  “I think so too. I hope the sheriff gets there in time.”

  “Wait, there’s a second video.” She scrolled up and then watched as Jerry and two of his men sprayed water on the poster, could not remove the tape, and finally ripped it down, one piece at a time. Tiffany closed her laptop and stood up. “Guess we know what everyone will be talking about today at work.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

  WITH NEW BOOKS TO PRICE and old ones to discount, Tiffany was working behind the counter when Alex came in later that afternoon. “How did you like The Tenors?” she asked.

  “I didn’t go.”

  “You didn’t take some other lucky girl? That was stupid.”

  Being called stupid made Alex reel back a little, but it didn’t deter him for long. “I gave them to Gloria and her friend. My sister actually looked like an adult when she left the house. She went to a doctor too. You really got her worried.”

  “Good. Girls need to know sex is not a game.”

  Alex grinned. “And you know this because...”

  Tiffany stared into his eyes, trying to think of the perfect answer. “Because I know better than to date foolish boys who think conquest is a game without consequences.”

  It was his turn to stare into her stern, no-nonsense eyes. “I guess that’s it then. I didn’t want to go out with you anyway.”

  “Then why did you ask?”

  “Because my dad is afraid Earl will marry you.” With that, he stormed out and once more let the door slam behind him.

  “What?” she managed to stammer. She shook her head and went back to pricing the books. After a time, she looked up. “I’m only eighteen. Why would I marry...oh, for Earl’s money?” She set the last book in a pile of four and carried them to the middle of the store.

  A few minutes later, Ben called. “Your coach awaits,” he said.

  “You fixed it?”

  “I did. It’s as good as new.”

  “And it is going to cost me how much?” she asked.

  “Well, there’s the cost of the part, the labor, the...”

  “Ouch, it sounds expensive.”

  “Depends on how much you’ve got.”

  “Probably not enough.”

  “Guess you’ll have to stick around then. Later,” he said right before he hung up.

  “Later,” she whispered. “I couldn’t possibly leave now anyway.”

  “What’s that, dear?” Mariam asked, peaking around the end of a bookcase.

  “Ben fixed my car, but I haven’t saved enough to pay him yet.”

  “Then you’re staying for a while? How delightful, I hoped you would.”

  Tiffany sighed. “I just hope Earl doesn’t mind having me around.”

  “Oh he doesn’t. Beverly says he seems much happier now that you’re there. I myself could not have stood all those years in that house with only Earl to take care of. That’s why I quit when I thought it appropriate. Besides, I’d saved up enough to buy this place and it was a good time to go. Earl said he understood and I think he was a little relived to have Beverly back. Those two always did understand each other.

  That afternoon, the talk was of the nude photo, the sheriff’s stern warnings to both Michael and Jerry, and the news that the tape still wouldn’t come off the side of Jerry’s building. Rumor had it that Jerry went to the next town over, to have a sign printed large enough to cover the tape. Everyone agreed, that considering the expense, Jerry was getting the short end of the stick. Even so, the town waited to see what Jerry would do next.

  IT WAS TIME TO BRING the sheriff up to speed on what he’d learned, so Rod went to the office early. He exchanged a few words with Millie about Wayne’s retirement party, and then knocked on the sheriff’s office door.

  “Come,” said Otis. He was happy to see his deputy and stood up to shake hands with him.

  “How’s Lois feeling?”

  “Better, finally. What’s up?”

  Rod told Otis about the mysterious Charles Hadley, what he learned from Samantha, and then what Levi told him at the nursing home. Otis was truly shocked to hear that Levi had seen Shelley looking out the window before she claimed someone took her baby.

  “The thing is,” said Rod, “if you’re going to kill the baby, why stop at the store for milk?”

  “Why indeed. Too bad the man who used to own the store died. He might remember who it was.”

  “I was going to ask about that. Millie’s dad gave me the names of three people I should talk to. The first is Levi and the second is Lyndell Fagan.”

  “Fagan is still in prison.”

  “I know, but Jake seems to think Fagan knows something. I’d like to drive to the prison and see if he’ll talk to me.”

  “Today?”

  “If you can find someone to take my shift?”

  “Well, I could let the new guy fly on his own.” Otis paused to consider that. “Sure, drive on up there. I’ll give the warden a call and tell him to expect you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “By the way, who’s the third person Jake told you to talk to?”

  “Crazy Eddie”

  Otis rolled his eyes just before Rod walked out of his office

  EARLY THAT MORNING, Crazy Eddie took copies of the pictures he’d taken at Shelley’s funeral to Beverly at the Woodbury mansion, and then drove to Ben’s garage. He rolled down the window, passed two 8 x10 glossies to Ben and nodded.

  The photos were of a woman and a man embracing. The first showed an enlargement of the woman’s face and the second, an enlargement of the man’s. “Shelley Woodbury and Charles Hadley?” Ben asked.

  Eddie only shrugged, rolled his window back up and drove away.

  Rod waited for the new deputy to arrive, handed him the keys to the department’s cruiser, and got in his car. He was about to pull out when Nancy called. “Good morning,” he answered.

  “THE INSURANCE CHECK came yesterday. I am so relieved.”

  “That’s great news,” he said.

  “The thing is, I know Lloyd would want me to, but I’m not sure how I feel about spending it.”

  “Because no one should profit from the death of a loved one?” he asked.

  “That’s it, isn’t it. I was having trouble putting it into words.”

  “My dad felt that way when his mom passed and left him several thousand dollars.”

&nb
sp; “Did he spend it?”

  “He did. My grandmother had a great sense of humor and she left a note attached to her insurance policy. It said, ‘I’m watching you.’” Rod could hear Nancy giggle. “Dad laughed so hard I thought he was going to have a heart attack. Know what he bought with the money first?”

  “What?”

  “The biggest TV he could find, so they could watch their favorite shows together.”

  “That’s a wonderful story. I’d like to meet your dad someday.”

  “Maybe you will. He would have loved the town picnic and I intend to make sure he doesn’t miss the next one.”

  “Or maybe come for Christmas?” she suggested.

  “That too.” Rod remained silent for a little while. “You okay?”

  “Better, now that I talked to you.”

  “I’ll be out of town this morning. I need to go to the state prison and talk to a guy, but I’ll let you know when I get back.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you going to Wayne’s retirement party tomorrow?” he asked.

  “I wouldn’t miss it. Wayne has been very good to us since the accident. Will you be there?”

  “That’s the plan, barring any bank robberies.”

  Nancy giggled again. “Be safe out there, please.”

  “Always.”

  JUST IN CASE LYNDELL Fagan needed to be reminded, Rod had the letter written years before tucked in his pocket. It was simple and to the point.

  “You want to know who took the baby? Let’s make a trade. My freedom for all the right answers.”

  Lyndell Fagan

  If Jake hadn’t recommended Rod talk to Fagan, Rod would have ignored the letter too. Unlike most letters received from prisoners, Fagan’s didn’t mention anything that no one else was supposed to know, thereby enhancing his chances of being heard. Then again, with a reputation for being a habitual liar, maybe Fagan decided it wasn’t worth the trouble.

  “One thing Rod knew, that Lyndell Fagan apparently didn’t, was that the statute of limitations had already run out on the attempted bank robbery charge. The initial charge was the assault of an officer, and like Jake said, Fagan could have been out long ago if he had behaved.

  Deputy Rod Keller had been in enough prisons to know the drill. No one was allowed to drive right up to the entrance, so he parked and waited for a shuttle to pick him up in the parking lot. Inside the prison lobby, he approached the desk, signed in, and was given a key to a locker. He found the locker, put all his personal items, his weapons, and even his badge inside. He checked to make certain he hadn’t forgotten anything an inmate might use as a weapon, locked the door, and slipped the key in his empty pocket.

  His was not a social call, so as soon as he arrived, the prison guard called to have Lyndell Fagan brought to one of the private rooms used by attorneys and their clients. Next, the guard pushed a button, and the large steel gate began to slide to the side. Rod stepped through it, waited while that gate clanged shut, and the second steel gate opened. When it did, he passed though that one too. It never ceased to unnerve him when the second door clanged shut, well aware that he was not getting out until someone opened it again.

  Rod was taken to a small room with only one table and two chairs. He chose a chair and waited nearly fifteen minutes for them to bring Lyndell Fagan in. The prisoner knew the drill too, waited for the guard to remove his handcuffs, and then slid into the chair opposite Rod.

  “You bring the papers?” Fagan asked. A tall man with a bald head, Fagan had obviously spent most of his time in prison working out and staying fit.

  “What papers might those be?”

  Fagan frowned. “You’re not here to make a deal?”

  “What kind of deal are you hoping to make?”

  “Look jerk, don’t pull my chain. I’m about to get out of this place, so if – and that’s a big if – I know something about the kidnapping, why would I tell you free of charge? Otis drops the bank robbing charge and I talk.”

  “Makes sense,” said Rod. “I mostly want to know if the baby is dead or alive.”

  Fagan turned his body to the side, crossed his legs and laid one arm on the table. “I don’t know, and that’s the truth.”

  “You wouldn’t tell me if you killed her, right?”

  “Right, but I didn’t kill her.”

  “Do you know who did?”

  “I don’t know that anyone did.”

  Rod paused to consider exactly what Lyndell Fagan was trying to tell him. Fagan looked sincere, but then there were lots of guys who could lie to your face and look just as sincere. Even so, Rod believed him so far. He considered just the right way to ask the next question.

  Before he could, Fagan said, “They never found a body, did they?”

  “No, they didn’t.”

  “Why you digging all this up now?”

  Rod chuckled, “Boredom. Small towns don’t offer a cop much excitement. A drunk now and then is about all there is.”

  Fagan half smiled. “You see Crazy Eddie much?”

  “Nearly every day.”

  “He writes me sometimes, just to say he outran one of you cops.”

  “That’s what I hear too.”

  “Crazy Eddie says he has more power under the hood of that beat up old truck than a jet airplane. I always liked him. He’s crazier than I am, and that’s saying a lot.” Almost immediately, his mood changed from friendly to sad. “I still miss her.”

  “Who?”

  “Can’t say who. Love makes a man do stupid things and I’ve spent years regretting most of them, but if I could have just one night...” He dropped his gaze. “I was here, she was out there somewhere...probably with another guy, and it makes me crazy. I talk too much.” He rubbed his face with both hands. “I’d like to go home, you know, but not with this bank thing hanging over my head.”

  “You want to tell me about the bank robbery?”

  “That was another stupid idea. I worked for old Earl and he paid me well, but I’d gotten myself in so much debt, I figured it was the only way out. The gun wasn’t even loaded, but that didn’t matter to the sheriff, then that cop jumped me. I had to hit him, you know, he was going to kill me.” Fagan glanced at the guard who was standing right outside the door “I get really bad headaches in here and they don’t give me much for them.”

  Rod did his best to return to the reason he came. “So you didn’t pick up the ransom money?”

  Fagan’s frustrated expression said it all. “Why would I try to rob a bank if I had the ransom money? You’re not real bright, are you?”

  Rod ignored the insult. “Okay, give me one reason to believe you know who was behind the kidnapping.”

  Fagan stared Rod down for a little while, and then looked away. “Charles Hadley.”

  Rod was completely dumbfounded. “He kidnapped the baby?”

  “No, no, man you got it all wrong, but you know who I’m talking about, don’t you? You heard about him, but you’ve drawn a blank, haven’t you? Know why?”

  “Why?”

  Fagan grinned, “You come back with the papers to get me out of here and I’ll tell you everything I know. Believe me, I know plenty.” He stood up and walked to the door. “GUARD!” he shouted.

  Deputy Rod Keller watched as Lyndell Fagan put his hands behind his back and the guard cuffed him again. “Tell Crazy Eddie hello for me, okay?” As soon as Rod nodded, the guard took Fagan away.

  When another guard came to walk him out, Rod retraced his footsteps through both huge steel doors, to his locker, out to the shuttle, and then to his car.

  “Crazy Eddie,” he muttered as he started his engine and checked for messages on his cellphone. A text from Ben said he might have a picture of Charles Hadley for him and Rod was elated. He returned the text with the words 45 minutes. Hopefully, once he had a picture, either Mariam, Pamela or Birdie could positively identify Charles Hadley.

  THERE WAS EXCITEMENT in town when Rod got back. People were lined up on Mai
n Street as if expecting a parade and he found it very curious. He turned into Ben’s garage, got out and waited until Ben came out of his office with the photos in hand.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Jerry got a billboard of his own. He’s got it mounted on the back of his pickup and he’s been driving it all over town.”

  “What does it say?”

  Ben grinned. “You need to see it for yourself.”

  “Thanks for the pictures.” Rod checked his watch, got back in his car and headed for the bookstore. By the time he pulled up in front, Tiffany, Mariam and two of their customers were standing outside on the sidewalk.

  “Have you seen Jerry’s billboard?” Mariam excitedly asked Rod when he got out.

  “Not yet,” Rod answered. He handed her the photos and then waited for her reaction.

  “Yes, that’s him, that’s Charles Hadley, but I never once saw him kiss her. Then again, it looks like they were about to hug...yes, that’s it, he was about to hug her. Oh dear, you best not let Earl see this. He might think...”

  Just then, Tiffany’s phone rang. She answered and then said, “It’s Ben. He says Jerry is headed our way.”

  Mariam shoved the photos back in Rod’s hand and then shaded her eyes with her hand to make certain she could see the billboard. As soon as Jerry’s truck got close enough for a good look, all of them burst out laughing. Even Rod smiled.

  The billboard read:

  Free sexually transmitted disease testing

  9:00 am to 3:00 pm

  Woodbury Tile Company

  Tiffany caught her breath, “Oh no, now look what I’ve done.”

  “Don’t worry dear,” said Mariam, “everyone knows Gloria had it coming. In fact, the mothers of most of the boys are forbidding their sons from ever being in the same room with Gloria.”

  “Mariam,” said one of the women as she opened the door to the bookstore. “If they didn’t know about Gloria before, they probably can’t stop their sons now.”