Fever Rich: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery (12 page)

“Does Cash know where his father lives?” I asked Scooter.

His eyes lit up. “Yes, I think he does. We've driven by before and he's mentioned it. Why? Do you think that's where he went?”

“I'd be willing to bet on it.” I looked at Charlie. “Can we take your car?”

He sighed. I think he wanted to argue with me about it, but changed his mind. He had to know that my idea had some merit.

“Let's go now,” I said, taking Scooter by the arm. “You have to come with us and show us where he lives.”

Scooter started stammering. “Wait, I don't think this is a good idea. Shouldn't we tell the police? Don't you think they'd want to know?”

Charlie explained. “I'm sure they've already considered it. If the intention is to find him before they do, then, we should move fast.” He looked at me. “Is that your intention?”

I looked at the chaotic scene that police were still struggling to quiet down and said, “Yes, we have to go now.”

Scooter pulled his arm from mine. “I can't do this. I'll lose my job.”

“Don't you want to find him? Why are you fighting me on this? I thought you cared about him.” I didn't understand why he resisted.

“I do, but this is my job, my home. We should inform the police and let them handle this.” Scooter took a couple of steps back, moving closer to the mayhem.

Charlie urged me, “We can stand here and debate this or go now. What do you want to do, Mercy?”

I couldn't stand and wait around for Scooter. I didn't want to believe that he was trying to sabotage my efforts, but it sure did feel that way. Why would he be so resistant all of a sudden? I was under the impression that he truly cared for Cash. Was I wrong?

When we were safely off the grounds, Charlie asked, “What do you think that was all about? Is Nathaniel the kind of guy who would fire someone for trying to help find his one and only grandson? Would he? We don't have the ultra rich types back home, but you can't tell me that they are any different than the rest of us. I mean, somewhere underneath their wads of cash, they had to have hearts.”

I was beginning to doubt that. I remained quiet while he drove. Charlie called in a favor with a local, state patrol captain, he'd met during his meetings and asked for an address for Nate Rich. I was surprised to learn that it wasn't that far from where Nathaniel lived. From what I'd heard, I'd envisioned that he lived in a rundown tenement in a seedy part of town, neither of which truly existed in Lake Villa, but if they had, that's what I would have been willing to bet money on that he lived in.

“Here we are. How do you want to do this?” Charlie asked as we pulled up across the street from the modest bi-level home with a well-kept yard.

“I don't know.” I stared at the house, unsure of how to proceed.

“I could go knock on the door,” Charlie offered.

“No, don't do that,” I said quickly. “You look like a cop. What if he takes off running with him?” I'd seen movies where that exact thing happened every time a cop knocked on someone's door.

“Why would he run? And, what do you mean I look like a cop?” Charlie asked.

“Charlie, not now, please.” I sighed. “I'll do it. I'll go to the door. Cash knows me. I don't want him to be scared.”

“What if he has a gun?” Charlie asked. I hadn't considered that.

“Why would he?” I asked.

“What if he had something to do with the accountant's murder?” Charlie asked.

I hadn't thought that far. Could Cash's father be the murderer?

“He is still my son,” Nate said.

Charlie sat down in the chair opposite him. “We understand that, sir. Believe me, I have a child myself. I know how difficult it is to believe your child is in danger and not know how to help them.”

Nate stood up, glaring at Charlie. “That's not what this is. My father is a lot of things, but he's not a murderer and, while we're on the subject, neither am I.”

I swallowed hard. This wasn't supposed to be part of the plan. I didn't have an actual plan, but if I had, this wouldn't have been how it would have taken place. I didn't mean for Nate to have been looked at as a murderer. While I had my own assumptions about the kind of man or father he was, that didn't automatically make him a murderer. What motivation would he have had? I still hadn't figured that out.

I said finally, “I don't think you're a murderer. I think you are someone that Cash loves very much and misses all the time. I don't know what happened between you and your father. I don't have to know. My job is to take care of a very sick little boy. He needs his medicine. I just want to see him, please.”

Nate put his head in his hands and called out to his son. “Cash, come down here, please, son.”

I held my breath as I waited. I hoped that Cash was fine. He bounced into the room, holding a little girl's hand. “I have a sister, Mercy.” He beamed with pride as he showed her to me. “Her name is Bentley.”

My heart skipped a beat. The little girl looked so much like him. “Hi, Bentley.” I said. She scurried off back up the stairs.

“What are you doing here?” Cash asked, taking up residence between me and Charlie.

“I came to see you.” I said. “How did you get here? Everyone misses you.”

He shrugged, hanging his head. “I don't want to get her in trouble.”

“Who?” I asked.

Nate cleared his throat. “No one. You've seen him. He's fine. Tell my father that I'll take him home in a few days, after all the commotion has died down.”

Charlie said, “I'm afraid, that's not how this works. We have to inform the police. They're looking for him.”

“I can stay here with my dad?” Cash was so excited to hear that.

I answered. “I don't know. That's not up to me.” I looked at Charlie for guidance. I couldn't bring myself to break Cash's heart.

“Cash, go see where your sister went.” Nate ordered him.

I wanted to hold onto Cash and not let him out of my sight, but it wasn't my place to do that. Everything I thought I believed about his father didn't seem to be true. He lived in a nice home, obviously had a family, and loved his son. How could I think badly of him?

“How did Cash get here,” I asked.

Lucilla stepped down the stairs with a young woman. “I brought him here.”

“What? How? I thought you said that he was in his room?” I asked her. “What are you doing here?”

The young woman looked at Lucilla, fear in her eyes. “He was, but that was only to get some clothes, so he could stay here with us for a little while.”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I'm Jasmine, Lucilla's daughter. Nate is my husband.” She answered.

My jaw dropped.

Nathaniel screamed, “How could you have kept this from me? After all I've done for you, all the money I've given you, all of the time I've invested in you to make you someone of my stature and this is how you repay me?”

Even though, Lucilla had been way out of line, I couldn't help but be on her side. Nathaniel was a pompous jerk and she didn't deserve to be spoken to in that manner.

Zoey stepped in between Lucilla and Nathaniel before she slapped him. “That's enough. Mr. Rich, your grandson is fine. He is standing right here and, like it or not, his father does still have rights.”

Nathaniel gasped.

“That's right. I may be just a lowly female to you, but I do my job. I checked you and all of your sorted affairs out. Seems to me that you have a habit of getting rid of people when they no longer suit you, except you neglected to do what needed to be done when it came to your own flesh and blood.” Zoey sneered at him. This had been a long time coming.

“You don't know what you're talking about, little miss,” Nathaniel said.

“I'm afraid I do.” She pulled a form out of her back pocket. “You see these papers here. They very clearly state that Nate is still legally Cash's father. Unless you know something I don't know, you have no legal right to your grandson. I don't know how this mess started, but Cash doesn't have to live with you, if he doesn't want to.”

Nate stepped forward to look at the forms. “What? You never filed the forms. You told me that you had my rights terminated and I believed you. What kind of man does that?”

Lucilla began to whimper. “I told you that you were wrong.” She looked at Nathaniel. “He's your son. How could you do that?”

“Wait a minute. I don't understand. Why would you give him your son, if he had no legal right to him?” I asked Nate.

He slumped down on a seat and put his head in his hands. Jasmine sat down next to him, grasping his leg.

“He lied,” Jasmine said. “I remember when all of that happened. Nate was in the rehab facility and Nathaniel was running around, hiring all these people to help him take Cash away from him. I was just a kid, but I remember all of it. Monica was so angry with him. They would fight about it all the time. She hated him for it.”

“You don't get to speak!” Nathaniel screamed at Jasmine. “I practically raised you. My money paid for everything for you and this is how you pay me back.”

“Stop talking, Mr. Rich,” Zoey ordered him.

Lucilla wiped her tears and asked, “Did you kill her, Nathaniel? Did you kill Jane?”

He shook his head, his shoulders heaving. “No. No. I swear I didn't kill her.”

“But, you claim to have seen who did.” I reminded him of his conversation with the reporter.

He put his head down and didn't say another word.

“Get out,” Nate said after a few uncomfortable minutes. “Everyone, get out of my house.”

“Is she going to go to jail for that?” Ruby asked Charlie.

“I don't think so. I think, there's been enough damage done. This Nathaniel guy sure knows how to create enemies, but why he'd choose to make his family enemies, I just don't get. What's his angle?” Charlie and I spent several hours mulling over all that had happened.

“He stole his son's child right out from under his nose and no one ever questioned it? That's ridiculous. I know I'm not a mother, but if would seem to be that if I was the parent, I would put up one heck of a stink if someone had my child for a moment, let alone years. Why didn't he fight for him? Doesn't he love his son?” Ruby couldn't understand it anymore than I did.

I sighed. I really had no idea what happened. “I guess like he said, Nathaniel wouldn't have been able to handle his son having any power or control. He's a greedy jerk. Maybe he did it to make sure that he didn't get the inheritance or anything. Who knows what his motivation was? Does it matter?”

“Why didn't he just change his will?” Tina asked. “Why go through all the trouble of virtually kidnapping this child? That doesn't make sense.”

She wasn't asking anything I hadn't already asked. Like Charlie said, people do crazy things for love and money. The key to solving Jane's murder was finding out if any had any real motive to murder her.

Charlie said what I was thinking. “Who had motive to kill her? Who would have had something to gain?”

I stared outside my screen door. “Something's not right.”

Ruby responded. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

I shook my head. “No, something here isn't right. Where's my statue? It isn't on the porch anymore.” I stood up and walked outside, believing that it would have fallen down.

Charlie looked outside. “Was it here this morning?”

“I think so. I don't remember. A lot has happened today.” I tried to think back to the events of the day, but I really couldn't recall when the last time was I'd actually seen the Betty Boop statue.

“I'll call Kitty and see if maybe she stopped by and picked it up for some reason. I mean, you haven't exactly been nice to her. Perhaps, she took it back.” Ruby said.

“That's mature of her.” I groaned. “But, could you call her and ask her. I don't want it to become a big thing later. It's easier to deal with it now.”

Ruby dialed Kitty's number. “Hi, how are you Katherine? I was wondering if you happened to stop by Mercy's place earlier today?” She shook her head. “No, don't do that. I was just wondering if you'd seen her today. That's all. Sure, we'd love to meet you for lunch tomorrow. I'll make sure that Mercy's there for sure.”

I shook my head and whispered. “No, I'm not going.”

Ruby continued speaking to her. “Yes, she'll be so happy to see you. She just needed some time to settle in. She gets cranky when she hasn't had enough sleep and she's not getting any younger, you know.”

When she hung up, I reminded her, “You and I are the same age. What was that about? I don't want to have lunch with her.”

Charlie laughed. “Just do it, Mercy. If you are going to be my date for the wedding this coming weekend, I sure as heck need you to know what you're doing. I don't need you to make me look like a fool.”

“No, you're right, you don't need me. You're perfectly capable of making a fool of yourself all by yourself.” I quipped.

“Ouch!” Charlie feigned a blow to his heart. “You're feisty when you're trying to solve a murder.”

“I'm not trying to solve anything. I just want to know the truth. What happens if they come after me or something? Right now, the only thing I'm concerned with is trying to figure out who is robbing me and my neighbors and how to get through this wedding fiasco relatively unscathed.” I explained, only half lying. I did want to know these things, but of course, I wanted to know who killed Jane and why. If it wasn't Nathaniel then who was it?

Charlie walked down the steps. “I should get going. I have meetings tomorrow. I'm afraid to ask, but what will you be doing tomorrow? Do you think you could stay away from trouble until I'm done with the meetings?”

“I don't need you to protect me and I don't get into trouble.” I informed him.

He looked over my shoulder at Ruby. “I do believe she's serious, Ruby. She thinks she doesn't find trouble. It seems to me that every time I see her, she's mixed up in one very tangled mess. Coincidence? I think not.” He turned and called over his shoulder. “Stay out of trouble, Mercy, and leave the Rich family alone. I mean it.”

“Mercy?” Ruby said in a warning tone as I contemplated lunging for Charlie's rental car to give him a piece of my mind before he drove away. “Don't do it. He's just looking out for you. He cares. Someday you're going to have to learn to accept that. I don't know why you're so resistant to love. James was a good guy. The marriage ended. It happens, but you can't spend the rest of your life being afraid of men.”

“I'm not afraid. I'm cautiously optimistic.” I said.

“Optimistic about what?” Diana walked up behind me.

“You scared me. Where did you come from?” I asked her, holding my hand over my rapidly beating heart.

“I was over at Margie's. She tells me that you and Charlie were having a lover's quarrel the other day. Was that what was happening right now too? What is going on with you anyway, Mom? Why are you so uptight?”

I sighed. She was right. I'd been unusually irritable lately and that wasn't fair. “I'm sorry, honey. It just feels like I'm getting hit from all sides.”

“Let's go inside, Mom. I'll make dinner for you and we can talk.” Diana took my hand and squeezed it gently. “You know he's in love with you, don't you?”