A Rip Roaring Good Time (22 page)

"So, anyway, there I was jumping up and down like an over-caffeinated lunatic who'd just won the Powerball lottery. People were staring at me like I was nuts, but I didn't care. After all, I was a 'winner' and going to be walking in tall cotton after the attendant had come over to the ringing, dinging, flashing machine and paid me off. Then Rip tugged on my shirt, and said, 'Bring it down a notch, darling. You only won fifteen cents.' Imagine that! I
won
fifteen cents after all the carrying-on that thieving machine went through. Winner, my well-padded behind! I didn't even get my entire twenty-five cent investment back. The screen should have read 'loser', or more appropriately, 'sucker'. Well, I cashed the rest of my money in and got the heck out of that rip-off joint! Rip foolishly played his ten dollars out and wasn't but about forty-five seconds behind me. You can bet we learned our lesson about slot machines that night."

For some reason, Lexie started laughing so hard she could barely breathe. I thought I might have to perform CPR on her at any minute. She finally caught her breath and said, "Oh, Rapella, you are such a delight to have around! You're absolutely one of a kind, sweetheart."

"Thank you." I wasn't sure what had tickled her funny bone and didn't know whether to be flattered or offended, so I changed the subject, "It sure is a blessing to have you out of that jail cell. I bet you're relieved to have that nightmare behind you."

Lexie's laughter turned into a somber sigh. "Yes, it's nice to be home. But I won't have this all behind me until the real killer is captured and brought to justice. In the meantime, the chief's going to be trying to conjure up anything he can to get Judge Jueti to change her mind about not arresting me."

"I don't see how they could dig up anything that would incriminate you in a murder you didn't commit. You are innocent, so how could they find anything that proves otherwise?" I asked.

"I think we'd all be surprised to know the truth about how many innocent prisoners are doing life behind bars for murders they had nothing to do with," Lexie said.

"I know you're right, but I still can't see what he could possibly come up with to make the judge think you're guilty."

"I don't know, but if there's a way, the chief will find it. Chief Smith and I have had not-so-pleasant dealings in the past. I've gotten under his craw several times, I'm afraid. The judge was almost swayed by a statement a witness made. Remember Alice Runcan, the gal who took the infamous photos? She was also the one who walked up behind us just as I remarked that I'd be tempted to do something totally horrid to Trotter given half the chance. Well, she was all too happy to pass that little juicy quote on to the investigating team too."

"But you were only joking!"

"Tell that to the judge, my friend," Lexie said, before shifting gears. "Let's just enjoy some much-deserved peace and quiet for a few minutes. I'll run and grab us each a refill."

"Sounds good to me." My vow to limit my caffeine intake while staying at the inn had fizzled out two days ago. I was now using it to keep my motor running so I wouldn't be tempted to lounge around on the porch and spend my time studying unusual words in the dictionary instead of thinking of ways to track down a killer.

When Lexie returned with fresh cups of coffee, her cell phone was ringing in her back pocket. After a short conversation with her daughter, she ended the call and told me what they'd been discussing.

"Wendy wants to come over here in about an hour to meet with the two of us. She plans to discuss with us what we know about our suspects so far, and what we should do to dig deeper. Mattie called to say she'd finish her stint at the hospital in just under an hour and asked to join us too in case she can help out in any form or fashion. I realize the three of you just met for lunch but I need to be brought up to date so I can be of some assistance too. After all, it's me who stands to gain or lose by any success we might achieve."

"Great idea! I was contemplating calling such a pow-wow myself," I replied. "Four minds are better than three any day."

As I sipped on my coffee, Lexie dozed in her chair, no doubt exhausted by the last few days of being locked up in a cage like a laboratory rat waiting for its execution. I went through the notes I'd scribbled in my notebook, hoping there was something there to spark an idea that would cast our net a little wider. A niggling thought in the back of my mind was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

That thought was that maybe the opposite was true. Maybe we needed to narrow our search instead of widening it. Couldn't there be someone right in front of our faces we were overlooking? Maybe some individual with the desire to see Trotter eliminated and the will and means to make it happen.

* * *

Our meeting began with Wendy relating everything she knew about the case and the investigation. There was little additional information we didn't already know about. She was clearly aggravated by the police chief and county coroner's joint decision to keep her as far removed from the investigation as possible, maintaining that her involvement in the case was an egregious conflict of interest. Her boss, Nate, tried to placate her by explaining the policy was in place to protect her as much as anything. She was fuming when she said, "Like hell that so-called policy's in place to protect me! Do they think I'm an idiot?"

"That's okay, honey," Lexie said, putting her arm around her daughter. "Maybe it's best you don't get in too deep under the circumstances. You are in line to potentially take the deputy coroner's place when he retires. I can't imagine anyone else being appointed to the position besides you."

"After this murder case involving my mother?" Wendy asked. "Are you nuts?"

Lexie's expression changed to one of despair. In an apologetic tone she said, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't deliberately try to sabotage your chances on being promoted. If there's anything I can do to—"

"No, wait, Mom. I'm the one who needs to apologize. I know it's not your fault, and everyone else will know that too, as soon as the real killer is taken off the streets. And if I don't get the promotion, it's no big deal. Getting this infuriating monkey off your back is the only thing that matters right now." With her sincere apology, Wendy reached over and gave her mom a hug.

Afterward, Wendy continued, "As I think you all know, Stone and Rip tried to get in to see Chief Smith so they could discuss the situation with him. He told them he had no openings in his hectic schedule to see them at that time, which could be true given the circumstances, but could also just be an excuse to avoid a confrontation with the man he believes is married to his son's killer. The chief told them they'd have to make an appointment to see him sometime in the future, like two months in the future, according to Stone."

"Rip told me this morning they are trying to set up a meeting with the lead detective now, who is Detective Russell," I remarked.

"Good. I hope they have better luck with the detective than they did with Chief Smith," Lexie said. "Now let's see what Rapella has unearthed about potential suspects in the last few days."

Referring to my notebook, I said, "Okay, here's what I know so far about a few people I see as likely suspects. There's Joy White, who attended the party with the victim. She and Falcon Jons split ways when he caught her cheating on him with Trotter. She then learned she was pregnant with Trotter's child, which she had aborted almost immediately. Mattie believes she was pushed into agreeing to the abortion by Trotter."

"I'd bet my life on it," Mattie interjected.

"Me too," Wendy added.

"But when I conversed with her after the pole-dancing class, she seemed genuinely upset about Trotter's death," I said. "Although it appears she wasn't so upset she couldn't find it in herself to teach that class this morning. With occasional signs of glee, I might add. In fact, she laughed as loud as anyone when I attempted the 'hair chopper' maneuver."

All three of the other ladies began to snicker but reeled it back in quickly when they saw the annoyed expression on my face. In my own defense I said, "I only participated in the silly class for Lexie's benefit, you realize."

I could sense Lexie was trying to hold back a smile as she reached over and patted my hand and said, "I know you did, sweetie, and I appreciate what you had to go through for my benefit. Now let's get back to Joy White."

"Rapella said Joy seemed genuinely upset. But if she had anything to do with Trotter's death, I'd think she'd act as devastated as she possibly could," Mattie said. "I'm not sure Joy's scene-stealing act of grievance after his death at the party wasn't designed to make everyone view her as a victim. She'd want to come across as a victim, along with Trotter, instead of as a potential killer."

Wendy agreed and added, "And there's always the possibility we discussed before. She might have staged that dramatic scene to get off the premises before the police began taking statements."

"That's true," I said. "Joy managed to avoid the scrutiny the rest of the party guests were subjected to. Could that have been her ploy from the start? If so, she pulled the ruse off perfectly. Also, there could be a great deal of resentment on her part, especially if after the abortion took place, she was filled with remorse about killing her baby, which again Mattie doesn't think is something she'd do on her own without being coerced in to it," I said.

"Damn straight," Mattie said.

"Then we have Alice Runcan, who arrived with an unknown guest who appeared to me to be at odds with her at the party."

"Sammy Sparks." Wendy and Mattie spoke out in stereo.

"Who's that?" Lexie and I then asked at the exact same time. Great minds think alike, I've heard.

Wendy spoke first. "He's just a guy who recently moved to town. He owns the nightclub where Rayleen Waters is employed as an entertainer. But I really can't see any imaginable reason he'd have to kill Trotter Hayes, whom I doubt he was even acquainted with, unless Trotter frequented his club, which is quite possible. More likely, however, Sammy was just disgusted that his date was ignoring him."

I had to agree with Wendy's assessment. It would have irritated me too, had I been in Sammy Sparks's shoes. And there was the word "entertainer" used as Rayleen's job description again. "Entertainer" could mean a whole host of different things, I thought. So I asked, "Does she sing, dance, pull rabbits out of a top hat, or what?"

"She's a stripper!" Wendy answered. "Probably the last occupation any of us who knew her in high school could have ever imagined she'd be involved in."

"Rayleen was very shy and withdrawn back then," Mattie added. "But I guess people can change. And, by the way, I agree with Wendy's opinion about Sammy. He had no connection to the victim as far as I can tell."

"Okay. We'll mark him off our suspect list for now. Back to Rayleen Waters. Along with Rayleen, Alice and Joy were the other two gals in their Three Musketeers club, according to what Alice told me," I said.

"Yeah, that's what they called themselves back then," Wendy replied. "Mattie and I always thought their little club was kind of childish."

"I remember you two joking about their Three Musketeers club when you were in high school," Lexie said to the two friends. Then she turned to me and asked, "When did you speak to Alice Runcan?"

I didn't feel it necessary to go into the story about my short-lived employment at Alice's health-food diner, so I replied, "Long story. But during our conversation, Alice told me she was stood up at the last minute when she and Trotter were supposed to attend their high school homecoming dance together. As the queen of the dance that year, Alice was mortified. Even worse, her close friend, Rayleen Waters, showed up with Trotter later on in the evening. Even though it's been years since that snub, Alice still appeared to have a great deal of bitterness toward Trotter. Was it enough to kill him though? I don't know."

Wendy nodded and added, "Mattie and I remember that night vividly. Alice truly was devastated by the humiliation she experienced, and it was a bad deal all the way around."

"No doubt," I agreed. Then Wendy continued.

"As Stone and Rip probably informed you, Falcon Jons told me Rayleen called and begged him to take her to the dance. Mattie hadn't invited her, which was fine with me since I hadn't spoken to her in years. Maybe Rayleen still harbored some animosity toward Trotter herself. Even though she and Alice eventually buried the hatchet, I doubt their friendship was ever as tight knit as it had been before what Alice had to think of as being stabbed in the back by Rayleen. It seems Trotter had lied to both girls, causing a serious rift between them for a while. It wasn't long after the homecoming fiasco that all three of the musketeers went their separate ways. That most likely left Rayleen with no close friends to hang out with, which she might have blamed Trotter for."

"Okay, that's something to keep in mind. I think we should check further into Rayleen's possible motive to kill Trotter." I consulted my list and added, "Then there's Falcon Jons, who owns the aerospace firm and is a bit 'off,' as you girls put it. He showed some serious hostility toward Trotter for stealing his girlfriend and getting her pregnant when I spoke to him. But Falcon was clearly not aware that Joy wasn't still pregnant at the party. He had estimated to me that she'd be four months along with what he claimed should have been his baby. He knew nothing about the abortion, I'm certain."