The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land (26 page)

But, to make this work, you needed a goat and Travis was it.
 
He was perfect.
 
He needed money and his daughter loved him.
 
So, you and Mickey force him to involve Charlotte in the scheme. Mickey promises to clear his debt and give him some walking money.
 
Travis signs up for and believes the deal is $50K – enough to resolve his problems.
 
Nothing remains now but to execute the plan.

Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong with your plan.

That argument Phillip had with Charlotte at the County Club – it wasn’t about her wanting money for her father.
 
Somehow she had found out about the double cross and knew you were involved.
 
When she learned the ransom would be $200 thousand – not $50 thousand, she became furious.

Then things really started to unwind.

Charlotte gets drunk, makes a couple of scenes and leaves the party.
 
Somewhere after leaving the Maxwell home, she meets up with Billy Vickers – he’ll tell us where, but that isn’t important.
 
He’s not a killer, just a scorned lover.
 
They talk, fight and eventually she leaves – probably telling him about the whole stupid plan and what she intends to do about it.
 
Right Billy?”

Billy glanced at Leroy, but he doesn’t speak.

“Where she does go is to see you, Denny Smith.
 
She’s drunk and she’s mad.
 
Charlotte probably beat on your door with her baseball bat, threatening to spill the beans on everybody.
 
She didn’t intend to hurt anybody, she just had the bat to protect herself – right Denny?
 
But you somehow manage to take it away and hit her with it – hard enough to crush her skull.
 
Is that how it happened Denny?
 
Did you really mean to kill her?”

Denny Smith was stone faced and saying nothing.

“Now, Denny you have a real problem – a dead girl and a money plan that has turned to shit.
 
Reacting, you put her in her car, take her body to the only place you know, Humboldt Lake, and stupidly dump it – almost successfully. Then you drive her car back to Bailey Park and call your half brother, Phillip Chaney, to come pick you up. This was the call to Phillip at 2:12AM from Bailey Park.

Then along comes Travis, he goes to the park – as planned. He finds the car, but no Charlotte, and doesn’t know what to do.
 
Eventually, he ends up at Mickey’s warehouse in Jackson - where he stayed until stealing the car and making the ransom call.
 
He still had no idea that Charlotte was dead.

The strange part here is, nobody knows anything has happened to Charlotte – other than Denny.
 
Travis says he is out of the deal because he can’t find Charlotte – but the ransom plan is still in place. Mickey forces Travis to make the ransom call and steal Charlotte’s car – which he does.
 
Travis then gets very cold feet and surrenders himself to the Gibson County Sheriff and me.
 
At this point, he still has no idea what has happed to Charlotte, much less does he know she is dead.

After the ransom delivery call, the scam continues. Denny flies with Phillip to assist with the ransom delivery, which would never be picked up – Travis had split.
 
Phillip believed he would leave the money and one of Mickey’s men would pick it up – Charlotte would reappear and he would be off the hook.
 
Denny never told him anything different.
 
Denny knew Charlotte was dead, but nobody else did – so everybody else was still on the same plan.

Things unravel even more when Charlotte turns up really ‘missing’ – she turns up dead!
 
Mickey gets arrested and sends his goons after me – for reasons I don’t understand – probably just still trying to be a bad guy.
 
Phillip is really confused, and probably believes that her death is related to something other than their planning – Billy Vickers maybe.
 
Denny has the money and could care less what everyone is thinking.”

Denny Smith has had enough and he finally stands up. “You’re an arrogant asshole.
 
You can’t prove any of this – it’s just something you made up!”

Leroy put his hand on his shoulder and told him to sit down.
 
He did.

“Oh yes, I can prove it – otherwise I wouldn’t have said it.
 
Mr. Blaylock is here to verify 12 trips made by Phillip Chaney to Ramiez, Mexico over the past 6 months.
 
We can assume those would have been to pick up and bring back drugs, the FBI will be able to confirm that.

Billy Vickers had a fight with Charlotte on the night of her murder. They parted mad, but parted alive. She told him she was angry because Mr. Smith and Mr. Campbell had made her father agree to a kidnapping plan – one that involved her. And now they were going to trick her and her father and leave them without any money.

That is basically the same argument she had with Phillip Chaney at the Country Club, and she intended to do something about it.
 
Billy Vickers wanted no part of this – he hid and eventually tried to run away.
 
But we do know from Billy that her bat was in the car that night – just like it always was.

Then she went to see you – Denny Smith.
 
That is where the fight happened and her ultimate death – intended or not – she is still dead.
 
You placed her body in her car and drove to Humboldt Lake, where you threw it away like trash.
 
We have tire prints from the car and we have your fingerprints in the car.
 
Have you had reason to be in Charlotte Luckey’s car before?
 
I don’t think so.
 
And a good search of your property and the surrounding area will probably turn up Charlotte’s missing baseball bat – with your prints all over it.

Phillip Chaney, the ransom note was typed on your typewriter.
 
Travis, you have been arrested for this crime – do you own a typewriter?
 
I don’t think so.
 
We also have logbook entries and receipts with proof of multiple flights of your plane to Ramiez, Mexico. Phillip, do you have an explanation for that?

So, yes, I can prove everything I just said.
 
Everybody in this room is responsible for Charlotte Luckey’s death – just some are more responsible than others.”

Denny’s bolt for the door didn’t get him far.
 
Jeff provided the handcuffs and then walked him upstairs to a cell.

Agent Giltner arrested Phillip Chaney and put him in his car for a ride to FBI headquarters in Jackson.
 
He was in a lot of trouble – hopefully his father and his money would help.

Billy Vickers and James Gannon walked away – maybe not guilty of a chargeable crime, but guilty of something much worse.
 
They had missed an opportunity to save Charlotte’s life.
 
They had the rest of their lives to think about it.

~

 
I
put the nose of the Ford in the wind and headed back to Memphis.
 
For some reason the fresh air smelled better this afternoon – maybe it was just my attitude.

With plans to make the evening cocktail hour at the Starlight, I still had time to drop by my office and grab the mail.

Marcie waved and wanted to know if I had caught any fish.
 
I told her yes, a couple of squirrel fish and a large flounder.
 
She had that question look on her face as I walked away.

In my office, among the usual the mail I found a generous check from Monica Jeffers – which would certainly help with the rent.

Over in the corner stood a new fake rubber plant with a big red ribbon and a note attached.
 
It was a present from Marcie.
 
Her note promised to always keep it well watered!

About the Author

A Florida native, Gerald grew up in the small town of Humboldt, TN., where he attended high school. Following graduation from the Univ. of Tennessee, he spent time in Hopkinsville, KY, Memphis, TN and Newport, AR before moving back to Florida – where he now lives.

While living and working in Memphis, the author worked out of an office located just off the lobby of The Peabody Hotel. Many of the descriptions, events and stories about the hotel are from personal experiences.

This short story fiction work, “The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land”, is what the author calls ‘Fiction for Fun’.
 
It uses real places and real geography to spin a story that didn’t happen, but should be fun for the mystery reader.
 
As a quick read, those familiar with the 1962 geography in the novel, will travel back in time to places that will be always remembered.

This is the second story in the Carson Reno series. The first, “Murder in Humboldt”, is available in paperback and electronic editions.
 
His book, “Don’t Wake Me Until It’s Time to Go”, is a non-fiction collection of stories, events and humorous observations from his life.
 
Many friends and readers will find themselves in one of his adventures or stories.

Learn more about this author and his additional works at

http://www.wix.com/carsonreno/carson

http://www.authorsden.com/geraldwdarnell

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/gwdarnell

When visiting the web-sites, you are encouraged to leave your comments and reviews of this book and his others.

Also, please let the author know if you would like to see continuing stories with Carson Reno and his cast of characters.

Email Carson at:

[email protected]

“Life is cheap – make sure you buy enough”.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Carson Reno