Corpse in the Crystal Ball (26 page)

“Yes, I was.” Webb hoisted a shoulder. “Half the town was there.”

“Yes, but half the town wasn’t in cahoots with Roz Sanderson,” I jumped in.

“Why is she here?” Chuck looked down his nose at me. “She’s not a real detective. I told you I only wanted to deal with you.” He locked eyes with Fuller.

“Miss Meadows is a consultant on this case, and a valuable asset to the department.” Fuller stiffened his spine and puffed out his chest. “She stays.”

I mimicked his stance, knowing I didn’t have to say a word. Vindication and gratitude filled me as angry color flooded Chuck’s face.

“Look, I told you guys over and over. I’m not in ‘cahoots’ or anything else with the Sanderson woman. All I did was rent her Ms. Gonzales’s room. Sanderson said something about being a friend of hers and wanting to be close to her. The maid said the room was trashed the first day, almost as if Sanderson had been looking for something.”

“You don’t say.” Fuller made a note.

“I heard about Gonzales embezzling all that money,” Webb continued. “Everyone else probably knows about it by now. Gonzales probably swindled Sanderson the same as she did me and many other people around town. Probably out of town as well, I’m sure. That doesn’t mean I killed her.”

“What about Sanderson? Did she find the money, and
then you killed her for it?” I asked. “Is that why you were hanging around the hotel on your day off?”

“I confronted her about the money, but she denied knowing about it. I didn’t kill her, either,” Chuck sputtered. “You’re crazy. You know that? Certifiably crazy.”

“I’m not crazy.” I leaned forward and narrowed my eyes in
his
face for a change. “I’m right.”

He took a wary step back.

“You know the drill,” Fuller said. “Don’t leave town until we clear this mess up.”

“Whatever. Waste tax dollars on a dead end. I’m sure the citizens of Divinity will love that.” Webb shook his head. “You ought to be looking at that ex-boyfriend of Gonzales’s. Ted Baxter. For someone who claims to be shook up over losing the love of his life, he’s been chasing everything in a skirt, and I do mean everything.”

“Tell us something we don’t already know,” I scoffed.

“Okay, just yesterday I saw him all over Abigail Brook. Abby hated Gonzales, and I’m sure Ted knew about the money. Who’s to say they didn’t team up and kill Sanderson for the money? I saw him and Sanderson get into many arguments over the past several days. Baxter is staying here, too, you know. Same as Sanderson.”

Maybe Ted had been the man in her room the other night. But why? How was he possibly connected to Roz? So many questions ran through my mind that I was afraid would never be answered.

“Is Ted here now?” Fuller rubbed his jaw, looking deep in thought.

“No, and he never came back last night. I’d say that’s a lead worth following,” Chuck said smugly.

“Don’t you worry, Mr. Webb. I’m very thorough at what I do.” Fuller handed him his card. “Call me if you think of anything else.”

We left Webb and headed out to the car. Fuller turned to me. “Where do you think Ted might have gone?”

“I have a hunch.”

“Okay, let’s hear it.”

“My guess is we’ll find him in a double-wide trailer on the edge of town.”

“Brook’s place.”

“Exactly.”

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into Abigail Brook’s driveway, and sure enough she was home. I had to admit it was nice having Fuller with me. Abigail didn’t like me any more than Chuck did. For that matter, Ted liked me even less.

I knocked on the door three times, and it took forever for Abigail to answer.

“What do you want?” she sneered, until Detective Fuller stepped up to my side. Then her face masked itself into a pleasant smile. “Detective Fuller. How nice to see you again. I hope your wife is doing well.”

“She’s fine, Miss Brook.” He still had his game face on and remained all business. “We’re here to ask you a few questions. May I come in?”

“But I already answered all of your questions about Isabel Gonzales’s murder.”

“This isn’t about the murder of Isabel Gonzales. It’s about the murder of Roz Sanderson,” I clarified.

“What?” The door whipped open wide, and a shirtless Ted stood staring at me with shock and horror all over his
face. “What did you just say?” he repeated softly in an almost shaky voice.

Either he was truly shocked, or he was one heck of an actor.

“Roz Sanderson was found dead in the swan pond at Mini Central Park during the festival last night.” Fuller checked his notes. “Sources say neither of you were there. Where were you?”

“Here—” Ted cleared his throat. “Here in bed the whole time.”

“I can vouch for that.” Abigail blushed, and it actually looked genuine.

“Sources also say Mr. Baxter and Miss Sanderson were seen arguing yesterday morning. What was that about?”

“Stupid stuff. She never held the elevator, cut in line at the morning buffet, just stupid stuff. I can’t believe she’s gone,” he said as though in a daze.

“Did you know Miss Sanderson?” I asked.

He blinked as though just realizing I was there. Then his face hardened, and he sniffed, rubbing his nose. “Just for the short time we were here. She might have annoyed me at times, but she seemed nice enough. I certainly wouldn’t want her dead.”

“Did you know about the money?” Fuller interjected.

Ted fidgeted, and Abigail looked at him with curiosity. “What money?” she asked before he could speak.

“The money Ms. Gonzales embezzled and hid,” I said.

Her lips parted and eyes widened. “Your ex-girlfriend embezzled money?” she asked Ted.

“Loads.” Ted ground his teeth. “That doesn’t mean I
killed her for it. I loved her. I came here to get her back. That’s all.”

“I thought you said you never really loved her?” Abigail’s voice shook uncertainly.

“What can I say? I needed a warm body. You were available.”

I actually felt bad for Abigail. Once again Isabel had managed to steal the man she was interested in, even from the grave.

“My guess is Roz found the money, and you killed her for it,” I interjected.

“I would never do that,” he said angrily. “Never.”

“Why so hostile if you just met the woman?” I asked.

“Because I don’t like being accused of something I didn’t do,” he responded in a forced calm voice, but his clenched hands gave him away.

“Get out,” Abby whispered, then repeated in nearly a shout, “Get out!”

“With pleasure.” Ted grabbed his shirt and pushed through the door. “Care to give me a lift, Detective?” Ted asked.

Fuller nodded apologetically to Abby, then faced Ted with a hard look on his face. “I don’t think so. Walk back to the hotel. It will do you good to cool off.”

We got in the car and drove away as Ted stormed down the driveway. And yet a heaviness seemed to weigh down his steps.

He’d just met Roz Sanderson, my foot. They were connected in some way, but how? One way or another I was determined to find out.

Sunday night I waved to Granny as she drove away with Bernadette Baldwin, the proud owner of BB’s Baked Goods. Bernadette was headed to a cooking class and had invited Granny to come along. She just loved Granny’s cookies, but Granny refused to give anyone the recipe. Bernadette probably thought by watching her cook, some tips might slip through.

Obviously, she didn’t know Granny Gert.

After cooking class, Granny was meeting with her sewing circle. She might be an amazing cook, but her sewing left much to be desired. Morty’s bow ties were living proof. So she’d asked around town and joined Trixie’s Sewing Circle. The group met right after the cooking class, and Bernadette had offered to drop Granny off at Trixie’s house. Then Trixie had offered to drive Granny home.

My granny had more of a social life than I did.

Once again I was alone. Only this time Morty was home, thank goodness. Not ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I shook my head at Morty. “What do you think Granny forgot this time? Other than her keys, that is.” I chuckled.

Walking through the foyer, I opened the door. No one was there. Morty’s hackles raised, and he hissed. I frowned. That could
not
have been Granny I’d heard knocking. Alarm skittered through me as I wondered who on earth it could be. I wasn’t stupid. I started to close the door, when a foot came out of nowhere and wedged itself between the door and the frame.

Morty yowled and the walls of my house shook even though there was no storm raging outside tonight. In fact, the night was deathly still. I struggled with the door, trying to push it shut, but then a pair of masculine hands grabbed the edge and pushed back.

I stumbled a step or two as the door flew open and Ted Baxter stood there, staring at me, the hatred evident in his bloodshot eyes.

“You ruined everything!” he growled, and wobbled through the door.

“What are you doing? Get out!” I backed away toward the living room.

“No,” he said in an eerie calm voice that was more terrifying than any yelling could ever have been.

“I’m going to call the police.” I looked around for my cell phone but couldn’t find it.

“You can try. It won’t work. I cut the lines.” He took another sinister step toward me.

Bile from my stomach hit the back of my throat. He must
have been the one stalking me all along. I had to think of a way to stall him before he killed me, too.

“You don’t want to do this, Ted,” I said, striving for control over my voice and putting the coffee table between us. “First Isabel and then Roz. If you kill me, too, you’ll never get away with it. They’ll throw the book at you.”

He laughed angrily. “You really don’t get it. I didn’t kill either of them. Isabel meant nothing to me, but Roz …” His voice hitched with emotion. “Roz meant everything to me. She was my sister. She was all I had left.”

I couldn’t have been more stunned than if he’d slapped me in the face. “Y-Your sister?”

“Half sister. Same mother, different fathers. The point is we were in this together.”

It was obvious he was drunk or else he’d never be revealing all these details. “In what together?” I prodded, trying to keep him talking as I backed around the sofa. “Murdering Isabel?”

“I didn’t kill anyone. I’m not going to tell you again, dammit,” he shouted, taking a step toward me.

I held up my hands. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I believe you. I just thought—”

“You thought you knew everything, Miss Smarty-Pants, but you don’t know anything. We were just supposed to get the money. Roz planned it all. I would hook up with Isabel when she got out of jail, and then Roz would join us later.” He stared off in the distance, looking tired.

“I didn’t count on the stupid broad breaking up with me. So I followed her here. I cornered her in the park the day she died. Tried to convince her to take me back. Roz showed up early, and Isabel put it all together. We tried to blackmail
her, but she still wouldn’t tell us where the money was, and then she took off.” He refocused and glared at me.

“Said she had to see you, but then no one heard from her again. I searched all over town that night, just like I said. And Roz ate at Papas, hoping to hear something from the locals. When Isabel turned up dead the next day, we knew the money had to be somewhere, so we stuck around to see if we could find it before the cops did.” He shook his head.

“When Selena showed up, we figured she more than anyone might know where the money was. So I tried to get close to her, but that hardheaded Detective Stone wouldn’t let her out of his sight. I figured Abigail Brook hated Isabel and was obsessed with Stone. If anyone could give me a lead, it would be her. Roz worked on Chuck, but he didn’t know crap. And Isabel’s room didn’t turn up anything, either.”

His whole face hardened, and his fists clenched. “Now Roz is dead, and someone’s got to pay.”

“W-Why me?” I squeaked. “What did I do?” I rounded the couch and backed toward the front door again, but he kept stalking me.

“Because you’re stupid. You started this whole thing with all your questions. You were freaking Roz out. Making her careless. Making her slip up. Someone caught on to our plan, probably thinking she had the money, only she didn’t. She would have told me.”

“Are you sure?” I asked quietly. “People did hear you argue with Roz the morning that she was killed.”

He lunged at me, but I sidestepped, putting the dining room table between us.

“I’m not saying you killed her. I’m saying maybe someone overheard you two and followed her. Maybe she really
did have the money, and so
they
killed her. Prison can really change a person. Maybe she was no longer the same Roz you knew.”

Confusion warped his face. “No. I won’t listen to you. You’re a liar. And you will pay for all that you’ve done.”

I darted across the room, trying to reach the front door and escape, but he lunged again and this time he caught me. We struggled, twisting and turning, until we crashed to the floor. A blast of whiskey hit me in the face, and his eyes were so dilated and red he had to have done some drugs before he’d come here.

Even totally wasted, he was still stronger than me. He sat on top of me, pinning my arms to my sides with his legs. Then he reached forward and wrapped his hands around my neck. I was going to die. There was so much I wanted to see and do yet. So much I wanted to say. So much I wanted …