All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 7) (17 page)

“Love is a mighty powerful thing, Mom. He lost his wife, so
he cracked.”

“I think there’s something fishy going on.”

“Like what, Mom?”

“
Savannah
told me that McCoy had been using
drugs. I don’t believe it. I remember his telling me awhile back that he had a
mini-stroke two years ago and couldn’t even take antihistamines for his sinus
problems. Why would he use drugs when it would be so harmful to his health?”

“What kind of drugs?”

“Barbiturates and amphetamines. I came home and looked them
up in the dictionary, and it said they were stimulants and tranquilizers.”

“Uppers and downers. If he had a stroke, he’d never take
those. It’d be like playing Russian roulette. She has to be lying.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Why would she try to make people think he had a drug
problem?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. She said he was acting erratic
the day he died, and it was the drugs that made him attack Cole.”

“When did this little bit of information come to light?”

“I went over to her house this morning to check on her and
that’s when she brought up the subject of drugs. She never mentioned it before.
Why would she be telling me about the drugs now?”

“She wants people to believe that McCoy was off his rocker.”

“She’s setting the stage, but for what?”

“I don’t know, but I can run a background check on McCoy and
find out anything I want to know about him, including his medical history. If
he was on any medication, it’ll be in his medical profile.”

“You can do that?”

“Sure. Give me a minute. I’ll log onto the website Billy uses
to do his background checks.”

“You’re going to do it right now while we’re talking?”

“Yep.”

I logged onto the computer, clicked the icon Billy had set up
on the desktop, and within seconds, the browser opened to the website I wanted.
I logged onto the site using Billy’s ID and password, and waited for the page
to come up. When it did, I typed in McCoy’s name, and then scrolled down the
list until I found him.

“You’d be amazed at how many people have the same name,” I
said to Mom as I surfed the site. “You’d think that with a name like McCoy
Kelley, he’d be the only one, but there’re eight people with that name.”

“How do you know you got the right one if there’s that many
people with the same name?”

“Address… age.” I clicked on McCoy’s medical record, and when
the page appeared, his entire medical history came up. “Mom, McCoy was taking
Coumadin—you took that drug once, remember?”

“Yes, I do. It’s a blood thinner. That’s what they give
people who have a blood clot. That’s why I had to take it.”

“It’s also prescribed for patients who’ve had a stroke or
heart attack. We know he had a stroke… and… it says here that he was taking
Atenolol for high blood pressure. That’s it, Mom. No other drugs listed.” I
continued to read the page. “Did you know that McCoy had a lot of allergies
when he was a child? He had to take allergy shots for two years.”

“I didn’t know that. What else does it say?”

“He had his appendix removed when he was seventeen.”

“Wow! You can find out all that stuff on the internet?”

“Mom, I can find out anything on the net. Billy subscribes to
a website called
the dirt dot com
, or something like that, and if I want
to know anything about a person, this is where I go.”

“Do you have to pay for it?”

“Yes.” I clicked out, and then typed
Savannah
’s name in the search bar. “If you
ever want to know something about a person just tell me. I’ll do a search for
you.”

“I like the idea of being able to do it myself. Now that I
know how to use a computer, I might have a use for a site like that. If I
wanted to hire someone to do a job, I could run a background check first. Yeah…
I like that idea.”

“Just sign up and pay the fee. You can even use your credit
card.”

“I don’t like the idea of putting my credit card number out
there.”

“Why? Every time you use your card it puts your number out
there. It’s just as safe to use your card online as it is to use it at the
grocery store.”

“I never thought of it like that, but I guess you’re right.”

Savannah
’s
profile came up, and astonishingly, her drug list was quite impressive. “Listen
to this, Mom. I’m checking out
Savannah
’s medical history and…”

“Why? What does her medical history have to do with
anything?”

“Because I want to see if she’s on any medications. The drugs
McCoy was taking weren’t uppers or downers, so where did he get them? Here we
go.
Savannah
takes: Clonazepam for anxiety,
Modafinil for SAD—seasonal effective disorder, Wellbutrin…”

“What? She was taking all those pills?”

“Wait. I’m not finished yet. Let me right click on this.
Wellbutrin is used to treat a psychological inability to experience pleasure.”

“You mean, she wasn’t happy?”

“I guess not. Hold on, Mom. There’s another one on the
list—Zyprexa. Oh, Lord. It’s used to treat schizophrenia, acute manic
depression and bipolar disorder.
Savannah
appears to be one unhappy lady.”

“I can’t believe it! I had no idea.”

My mind started doing what it always does when the pieces of
the puzzle start falling together—it went everywhere. “Here’s a thought, Mom.
Savannah
said McCoy used drugs. Suppose he
was using her drugs.”

“Are you saying she gave them to him?”

“You never know. You thought there was something strange
going on, so we checked it out, and this is where we ended up.
Savannah
had the drugs and the opportunity.
They were married and living together when he flipped out. She could’ve slipped
him a bunch of pills without his ever knowing it. People do it all the time.”

“I just don’t know. Maybe I’m making something out of
nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, then why did she even bring up the drugs?
The man’s dead. What good would it do now, except to cast a shadow on his
character?”

“You do have a point. She could blame her bad marriage on
McCoy by telling everyone he was hooked on drugs. That’s pretty mean.”

“Especially if it isn’t true.”

“There’s more, Jesse. Wait until you hear this. There’s
something going on between
Savannah
and Cole.”

“Hanky-panky?”

“I saw them kiss, and it wasn’t just a friendly peck. He got
out of the hospital and the first thing he did was to come by to check on her.
At least, that’s what he said. Then, when he was leaving, she walked him out to
the porch. I snooped on her and that’s when I saw them kiss.”

“Mom, you’re getting just like me! I’m so proud of you!”

“You make sense. You once told me that if something didn’t
feel right, then it probably wasn’t. When she started talking about McCoy’s
drug use, I started feeling uneasy. I couldn’t make myself believe it. If the
truth is that hard to swallow, maybe the truth is not being told.”

“If you want the truth, start digging.”

“How can I do that?”

“Call
Savannah
and talk to her.”

“Talk to her about what? I can’t tell her I think she’s full
of it.”

“Don’t let her know you’re suspicious of anything. Just play
along with whatever she says. You’d be surprised at what you can find out about
a person when you go along with them.”

“I don’t know if I can do that. It’s so sneaky. I wouldn’t
feel right.”

“That’s how I do it. Sneaky is my middle name.”

“You don’t have a middle name.”

“Just pretend you’re on a job with us, and this is your
assignment.”

“I could do that.”

“Remember, let her do the talking, and keep your thoughts to
yourself. The more you listen, the more you’ll find out. Call me if you get
anything. Hey, by the way. What time did you leave
Savannah
’s? Russell said he had been trying
to reach her all morning, but couldn’t get her. I wonder where she could be.”

“I only stayed a little while. It was probably around nine
when I left.”

“I just talked with him a few minutes ago, and she wasn’t
home then.”

“She’s probably at Cole’s house. That’s where I’d be if my
new boyfriend had just gotten out of the hospital. I’d be over there tending to
his needs… if you know what I mean. I’d bet money she’s there... if I were a
betting person.”

Zing! Mom had finally seen the light. Evidence is better than
words any day.

We ended our conversation without Mom saying anything about
our incident last night. She didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell. I figured it would
come out in the end. I was just so glad that she was finally seeing the other
side of
Savannah
… the side that I saw. I logged off the
computer, grabbed the printout on Bruno Michaels, and headed outside. I
couldn’t wait to tell Billy all that I had learned.

Billy was under his wrecked truck, fiddling with it and
talking to himself in Cherokee, when I walked into the garage. “Are you cussing
at the truck?” I asked him.

He slid out from under the truck and said, “No. I was cussing
at Wynona. She’s the reason my poor truck is in such a mess.”

“Is it a goner?”

“No, it’s salvageable. I can fix it. It might take awhile
though, since I’m such a busy private investigator.”

“Well… you’re about to get busier. Check this out.” I handed
him the printout. “You were dead on about the gun. It says right here the gun
used in the drive-by shooting that killed Francine Michaels was a .38. I think
it’s the same gun, and I think Bruno used it to kill his wife.”

Billy took a few minutes to read the printout, and then said,
“The gun belongs to Wynona. She’s the one who probably killed Bruno’s wife.
Further down on the page it says that Francine put up the front money for
Donald and Hank’s company. She was a silent partner and owned a third of it.
Maybe Wynona was trying to eliminate all three of them—Hank, Donald, and
Francine. That way she’d get it all. No, that still leaves Hank’s wife, Stella.
She isn’t dead.”

“Not yet. Maybe she was next on the list,” I suggested.
“Donald ruined everything when he didn’t die. I bet Wynona wasn’t too thrilled
about that. She’ll have to come up with a more ingenious way to have him
snuffed out.”

“That’s not going to happen. She was denied bail, so she’ll
be in jail until she goes to trial. I checked Donald’s financial records this
morning while you were still asleep, and he has a lot of money to protect. I
bet his lawyer is rewriting his will for him as we speak. Donald’s a smart man.
Poor Wynona has a little over six thousand dollars in her checking account.
She’ll need that and more to pay for her lawyer.”

“Did they have a pre-nup agreement?”

“They sure did, and it’s a good thing for him. Donald was in
business with Francine and made most of his money before he married Wynona, so
if they get a divorce, she walks away with nothing.”

“But… if he died, she’d get the bulk of everything. What
happened to Francine’s share of the company when she died? Did Bruno profit?”

“Donald bought out Hank and Francine’s share of the company
when they died. Stella has already gotten her share, but Bruno hasn’t seen a
dime yet. It’s only been a few months since Francine was murdered, so I’m
thinking that Donald has been stalling on the pay-out.”

“Do you think he suspects Bruno of killing Francine?”

“I’m beginning to think so, and if that’s the case, the money
would default back to Donald. If you’re convicted of killing someone, you can’t
profit from their death. It’s the law. Perhaps Donald is holding out on making
the payment to see if they catch Bruno.”

“That could take forever. How long can he hold out?”

“Donald can drag this out until a judge makes him pay up.”

“Bruno would have to sue him to get his money.”

“And I don’t think Bruno wants to take that route. There’s no
record of a lawsuit so far.”

“No wonder Bruno wouldn’t turn in the gun. He’s afraid
they’ll find out it was the same one used to kill his wife.”

“That’s my thought.”

“Have you heard from Jonathan, yet?”

“No, and I’m beginning to wonder what’s going on. He
should’ve called hours ago. All he had to do was drop off the gun.”

“See… I told you it was a bad idea for him to see her. One of
us should’ve taken the gun to Deanna, not him. That way, Jonathan wouldn’t have
any contact with her. They’re probably in bed right now.”

Billy laughed. “Your imagination is making up drama that’s
not going to happen. You need to give Jonathan a little credit. He’s a grown
man. He knows right from wrong.”

“I do give him credit. She’s the one I don’t trust. From what
I’ve heard, she could get him to do anything. She had him wrapped around her
little finger, and when she got tired of him, she dumped him. She’ll do it
again. Women like her never change.”

Billy’s cell phone rang. When he pulled it out, he looked at
the screen and smiled. “See. It’s Jonathan, and he’s not in bed with Deanna.”

“How do you know?”

Billy ignored me. “Hello, brother. I was beginning to wonder
what happened to you.” Five minutes later, Billy closed up the cell phone and said,
“Jonathan’s still at the lab.”

“Why’s he still there? All he had to do was drop off the gun,
and then leave. No big deal.”

“Deanna suggested he wait for the results.”

“This isn’t TV, Billy. It doesn’t work that fast. She’s
digging in.”

“I sure hope not. If Deanna steals Jonathan away from Lu Ann
it will be my fault. I was the one who hooked them back up.”

“Not so, dear husband. You’re not responsible for what your
brother does. Forget about him for a minute. I have juicy news to tell you. Mom
thinks
Savannah
and Cole are hot and heavy for each
other. She saw them kissing this morning.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Billy rolled his eyes. “I had a
feeling something was stiring. I saw this one coming.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I was hoping it was my imagination. Cole killed McCoy and
now he’s going after his wife. How do you think that will look?”

“It’s not as if he set out to kill McCoy. It was
self-defense.”

“It still won’t look good. I thought Cole had better sense.”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Love is a mighty
powerful thing, and lust is even more so. Lust is an uncontrollable emotion.”

“Let’s hope that Jonathan uses his head. He’s got a good
thing going on with Lu Ann, and I don’t want to see him jeopardize their
relationship. He wouldn’t get another chance with her.”

“It’s all about control, Billy. If he wants to be married to
Lu Ann all he has to do is say no to Deanna… plain and simple.”

“He never could do that before. I sure hope he can this time.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“What’s on the agenda for today?”

“We still have a few loose ends to tie up, so I called Lila
and told her we were going to be tied up for the rest of the week. I also told
her to meet with the guy from the body shop and the woman who’s having husband
problems, and then prepare a report for us. She said she’d take care of it
right away.”

“And she will, Billy, but that’s not her job. You’re going to
have to give her a raise.”

“I did, and I promoted her to assistant. She’s more than a
secretary. She runs that office, and she’s good at it. We’re lucky to have
her.”

“I like Lila. She’s good at her job, she’s friendly, and I
don’t have to worry about her flirting with my husband—even though she’s single
and could. She has morals. I applaud her for that.”

“She’s turned out to be just what we needed.”

“She needs a new car.”

“What?”

“Have you seen that car she drives? Its twelve years old.
She’s constantly having problems with it. She needs a new one. We could write
it off on our taxes.”

“I knew I’d regret letting you poke your nose into our
financial affairs.”

“You could do for her what you did for me. Buy the car, put
it in the company name with the promise that it would belong to her if she left
the company. But don’t deduct the car payment from her salary, make it a gift.
She’s divorced with two teenagers to support. She can’t afford a new car
payment, or she would’ve already bought one.”

“I’ll give it some thought.”

I didn’t press Billy. If he said he would give it some
thought, he would.

“What loose ends are you talking about? Flo’s case is over
and
Savannah
doesn’t need our help anymore, so
that only leaves the gun to deal with.”

“When we get the results back, we’ll have to see to it that
Sheriff Hudson gets custody of the gun, without compromising the evidence. I’ve
come up with a plan on how we’re going to do that.”

“Tell me more.”

“We’re going to put the gun back where we found it, and then
we’re going to call Sheriff Hudson and tell him that we suspect Bruno tossed it
into the woods. He already knows we saw him with the gun, so I’m sure he’ll
send his men out to look for it. We’ll make the call when we get to Bruno’s
house, and then we’ll knock on Bruno’s door and tell him what we suspect. If
we’re lucky, Sheriff Hudson and his men will catch him in the act of trying to
retrieve the gun. The timing will have to be just right.”

“I still don’t know why we didn’t just turn it over to
Sheriff Hudson when we found it.”

“Perhaps we should have, but it’s too late for that now.”

“You mean to tell me that you might’ve made a mistake?”

“An error in judgment,” he corrected. “I’m not perfect. I
want us to get out of this without any repercussions.”

“Like withholding evidence?”

“Precisely. All we have to do is wait on Deanna’s results,
and then we’ll take the gun back. I want us to wash our hands of the whole
mess.”

“It’s time to step back and let the police do their job,” I
agreed. “As I see it now, there’s nothing for us to gain by continuing to get
involved. Once we put the gun back and tell the sheriff, our job is done. It
should’ve been over the minute we found the gun.”

“Too late now to cry over spilled milk.”

“What other loose ends do we have to tie up?”

“Actually, that’s the only one. Then there’s McCoy’s
funeral.”

“McCoy’s funeral is a given. All we have to do is show up.”

“Later, we’ll probably have to testify at
Savannah
’s trial—if they decide to
prosecute,” Billy said. “I know we’ll have to testify at Wynona’s trial. We’re
going to spend a bit of time in court.”

“Yeah, but that’s awhile off. I’m not going to be concerned
with
Savannah
. She’ll do fine. She has Cole and
Russell to look after her. Poor Russell. He’s crazy for her, but she’s gaga for
Cole. As far as Wynona is concerned, I’ll be more than glad to help put her in
prison.”

“We have a few days to relax before we take on another case.”

“I like the idea of that. What shall we do with our free
time?”

“Let’s just play it by ear.”

“While we’re waiting to hear from Jonathan, we could go visit
Savannah
, and then stop by Mom’s house to see
how Eddie’s doing. Then we could take the kids to visit your mom. We haven’t
seen her in days.”

“I have a better idea. We’ll invite them over for dinner.
I’ll get Helene to make something special. Mom and Dad love her spaghetti.”

“I’m sure she’ll love slaving over a hot stove all day.”

“I love cooking,” Helene said as she walked out from behind
the garage with both kids holding onto her hands. The dogs, as usual, tagged
along. “I’d be glad to fix a big pot of spaghetti sauce. Should I give Sarah
and Chief Sam a call?”

“No, I’ll do that,” Billy replied.

“Hey, we could take the kids with us to visit Mom. That way
Helene wouldn’t have to watch them while she makes a big batch of her spaghetti
sauce for dinner.”

“But didn’t your mom say that Eddie had a bug?” Helene asked.
“The kids don’t need to be exposed to someone who’s sick. All those germs…”

“That’s right. I forgot.”

“You two go do what you do, and I’ll start the sauce. The
kids won’t get in my way. I’ll get the dogs to watch them.” She laughed as she
herded the crew inside the house.

Billy looked at me, smiled, and then said, “We’re lucky to
have her, too, and she bought her own new car.”

“Yep, you got lucky on that one. Didn’t cost you a thing…
tightwad.”

Billy had a hurt look on his face. He wasn’t stingy with his
money. That’s for sure.

“I’m sorry, Billy. I was just kidding. You’re the most
generous man I know. If you think it’s too much, you can forget about buying
Lila a car.” I snickered. “She can walk to work.”

“You’re going to be the death of me yet.”

“My dad used to say the same thing, and look what happened to
him.”

“Your dad died of a heart attack.”

“Yeah, and I drove him to it.”

“No, you didn’t. He had a bad heart. My heart is strong.”

“Yes, it is. Plus, I’m not sleazing round with Cole anymore.”

“This conversation is getting totally out of hand. I take
back what I said. All of it. If I should die, it won’t be because of you.”

“You’re so easy. I was just messing with you.”

“Get your gear and let’s hit the road. We have trouble to get
into.”

“Goodie. I love being bad!”

After a quick lunch of sandwiches and chips, Billy and I
headed out again on another one of our exploits. Adventure was waiting in the
wings.

Our first stop was Redman’s Auto, much to my amazement. I was
sure that Billy had rejected my idea about buying a car for Lila for the time
being, but obviously he hadn’t, because here we were.

Greg had a concerned look on his face when he saw us coming
back in so soon, but that looked faded away after Billy told him we were
looking for a new car for our assistant.

“I was afraid you didn’t like something about your truck.”

“Oh, no,” Billy replied. “I love it.” He turned and looked at
his truck. “You can’t beat a Dodge.”

“We’re shopping for something reasonably priced, that gets
good gas mileage,” I said. “And even though we’re looking for economy, it can’t
be too small. Our assistant has two teenagers.” It only took me fifteen minutes
to find what I thought would be the perfect car for Lila and her two kids, but
Billy had his reservations. “It’s too small,” he said. “I think we need a
mid-size car.”