Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (15 page)

“I honestly hope so,” Michael said as he stood. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had dark circles under his eyes.

* * * *

Dave walked with Michael Carr to the door of the office building surrounded by yellow tape.

“Chief Carr, do you mind if I take a look at the crime scene?” He pulled out his badge for a reminder. “I’d like to help in the investigation any way I can, if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure, we can use all the help we can get before I call in the State then the Feds. Oh, wait, you are the Feds.” Chief Carr smiled. “You know the drill then. Just don’t get in the way of the forensics team or the funeral director.”

Dave entered the office and looked around. Then he went to the bathroom door. He took some notes on a notepad he seemed to never be without and then went to find the Chief.

“Chief? I’ve got some info to share when you’re ready.” Dave put his tablet and pen in his jacket pocket.

“Why don’t you help Tory get home and meet me in my office first thing in the morning? We can compare notes and take a look at the murder book.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” Dave said already on his way back to Tory’s car.

“Tory, do you want to go home or stay at your mother’s tonight?” He put his arm protectively around her shoulders.

“What did he mean by murder book? Wasn’t it a suicide?”

“No more questions. Right now I want to get you home. Do you want to go home to your house or to your mother’s?”

“I need to go to my own home. I have work in the morning. And I’ll have to find a special cleaning crew for the office when it’s officially allowed,” she said through trembling lips. She wiped tears away from her cheeks.

“I’ll follow you home so I know for sure you get there okay.”

“Sure.”

Dave followed Tory back to her town house and parked his SUV beside her car. He helped her out and walked with her to the front door.

“Dave, do you want to come in for a drink? I sure could use a glass of wine to settle my nerves.”

“Sure, I could use a drink.”

Tory was, of course, still upset over the sight of someone dead. Even after two small glasses of wine, she trembled. They settled on the couch, sitting side by side, Dave’s arm around her shoulder. Eventually her head fell onto his chest and she was asleep. When Dave’s arm became numb, he eased her down on the couch, covered her with a blanket, kissed her good night, and locked up on his way out.

Chapter 22

Dave took a chance Chief Carr was at his office around five o’clock in the morning. The office was a small, red brick building tucked in between the Fire Department and the City Water Works building.

“Dave, come on in. Have a seat,” Chief Carr said as he rubbed his eyes.

“Good morning,” Dave said as he sat down in one of two chairs in front of the desk. “I’m an early riser. Had some thinking to do and wanted to share my notes with you.”

“Hickoryville is a small mountain town where people still leave their doors and cars unlocked. This is shocking news for the residents here and we need to act fast.”

“I agree with you there,” Dave said as he nodded his head.

Chief Carr opened the murder book and began reviewing it. “We’ve identified the victim as Mark Montgomery, a local man who grew up here. He went to North Carolina University and then returned to his roots. He was employed by Wilson Construction and was either fired or quit about six months ago. Rumor has it he spouted off around town that Matt Wilson owed him a good sum of money, but Matt refused to pay up. I have someone questioning Matt for an alibi right now.” He looked up at Dave who nodded at him. “Montgomery had recently started to work for Braedden Properties, Wilson’s only competition and arch enemy. It appears he died from a self-inflicted small caliber gunshot wound to the left side of his head.

“At first I thought it was a suicide, but I couldn’t get all the pieces to fit together. After questioning his girlfriend, Nancy Cordes, we found he hadn’t given any indication of being unhappy in any way. He wasn’t depressed about his recent divorce. So, the big question was why would he kill himself? He had no motive.”

“Did you bag his hands at the scene?” Dave asked.

Chief nodded as he checked the notes in the murder file or book. “No gun powder burns or even residue on his hands. So that pretty much rules out suicide. We’ve put a trace on the gun to find out who it belongs to and how he may have gotten hold of it. So, it looks like we have a murder victim and a killer in our small mountain town.”

Dave thought for a moment.

“What about the brain and blood spatter? From what I saw, it looked as if he was on his knees and shot from the left side to appear as a suicide. According to his girlfriend, he was right-handed, and after looking at his hands it appears to be true. The right hand definitely has more usage. Why would someone that’s right-handed use his left hand to shoot himself? And why would he do it when he was expecting someone to stop by?”

“I agree with you, but I don’t want to offer an opinion of conjecture. I’ll wait for the undertaker’s report.”

“You’re right, Chief. It still leaves a lot of unanswered questions though. Why leave the water running?”

“I haven’t figured that one out yet, Dave. What do you think about it?” The Chief rubbed his chin.

“It could have been to draw attention to him as soon as someone walked in the door. As it turned out, it worked.” Dave shrugged.

Chief Carr sat back in his chair listening to Dave, nodding his head.

“I just have one more question,” Dave said. “And that is why and how long ago did he get a divorce. Maybe his ex-wife has some kind of vendetta against him and finally now, since he’s successful and has a new love interest, she’s pulling in her markers or acting out her revenge.”

“That’s a possibility. I’ll put someone on her right away so we can find out, how about that?”

“It seems to be a very well-thought-out, premeditated murder, doesn’t it?” Dave asked as he put his notebook and pen in his jacket pocket.

“It sure does, Dave, and you know what that means. We need to solve this and quickly.” Chief Carr sighed deeply.

Chapter 23

Tory’s mother Anne, along with Dave, Tory, Sue, and Brandon attended the funeral of Mark Montgomery. It was a rainy, gloomy day for the celebration of a man’s life here on earth. Almost everyone in town made an appearance at the somber occasion. They remembered him as a child growing up. Some were able to talk about how Mark had touched their lives, others were not. Some remained stunned that a murder had taken place in their small town. And others, members of his immediate family especially, remained numb.

During the graveside services, Dave looked around at those gathered together. Any one of them could be the murderer.

When the service concluded, Dave invited Tory and her family for coffee at Lana’s and they all agreed.

After they settled into a comfortable corner booth and ordered their coffees, their conversations turned to the crime.

“I still can’t believe Mark’s gone,” Sue said. “I’ve known him forever and now there will be such an empty void. I also can’t believe that somebody in our town is responsible for his murder. It has to be an outsider. But who could it be?”

Everyone looked at Dave, innocently stirring his coffee. When he realized everyone had become quiet, he glanced up at those seated around him, staring at him, waiting for an answer. He raised his hands up in self-defense.

“Don’t look at me,” Dave said. “I’m a federal officer and I take every one of my sworn declarations seriously.”

“What can we do?” Sue asked Dave. “After all, I don’t think any of us are safe until the killer is behind bars.” Sue ran her shaky hands through her long hair.

“Other than being careful and aware constantly of your surroundings, you need to start locking your doors at night and during the day if you’re alone.” Dave rubbed his tired face with his hands.

“If you learn anything be sure to give us a call, all right? Brandon and I need to leave, so keep us posted. And, Tory, try to stay out of trouble, okay?” Sue laughed as she waved at them while ushering her mother out the door.

* * * *

“I guess you’ll be staying here in Hickoryville then?” Tory asked directly of Dave.

“That depends,” he answered with a smile.

“Depends on what?” Tory couldn’t help but ask.

“Whether or not you stay.”

Tory smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy under his gaze. But then the pressure began to build and the warm, fuzzy feeling receded. She realized her actions would result in his reactions, and she didn’t want to be responsible for his career.

“Dave, I, I like you a lot, but I can’t advise you on what to do when I don’t know what I’m doing myself yet. I think we both need more time. I’m only here for a few months, remember?”

“I know. I don’t want to put any more pressure on you than you already have. We can continue to get to know each other.”

“How about dinner at my house tomorrow night? I’ll cook,” Tory asked.

“I think that sounds wonderful, Tory.”

She nodded.

* * * *

Later that day, Matt Wilson whistled as he got into his car and left his house. He made his way to meet with his latest mistress, a young woman he met at the local office supply store. She was married, but what the hell, so was he for now, technically anyway. They immediately hit it off and she soon let him know when her husband was working late so they could set up another rendezvous.

Very early the next morning, Matt again whistled as he left Patty’s house, preoccupied with his recent conquest.

* * * *

The occupant of the black car parked a block down the street, donned with dark glasses, slouched down in the front seat, making notes, went unnoticed.

Chapter 24

Tory dragged herself to work the next day. She’d been working more hours than she had originally anticipated since Mrs. Braedden’s due date was approaching quickly and she had to be on total bed rest. Mid-morning Tory answered the phone at the office. It was a new client, Larry Walker, and he was interested in looking at one of the new office buildings still in the midst of construction. His company was growing and he needed a larger facility.

She arranged to meet him later at the job site but first she would need to prepare an estimate for any custom and necessary build-outs he might like to suit his specific needs.

She arrived early and waited in the car until her client arrived and they walked toward the building together.

“Hi, Mr. Walker, right?” Tory asked as she held out a hand to shake.

“Yes, but please call me Larry. It’s nice to meet you and put a face with a voice on the telephone,” he answered as he shook her hand.

“Same here,” Tory said as she unlocked the door to the large warehouse community building. Larry held the single glass window industrial door for her as they entered the warehouse area.

They walked around the unfinished inside perimeter of the sizeable empty warehouse in the back. Tory took pictures from every angle and noted measurements for review later if Mr. Walker decided he wanted any build-out done. Then they turned to the office spaces in the front of the building—Tory snapping pictures as Larry opened the door to one of the offices. At first Tory couldn’t see what she was looking at through the camera lens but snapped a few pictures anyway. When she heard Larry gasp, she dropped the camera which was caught by the strap around her neck. She covered her mouth and screamed bloody murder.

* * * *

“Oh my god! Oh my god! Not again?” Tory fell to her knees, staring at the young woman hanging by her neck, her head at a bizarre angle, her blank eyes bulging, the tissue around her eyes discolored. A rope was secured to an exposed rafter, wrapped around her neck. A chair sat nearby but not close enough for the victim to have stood on. She was dressed in a simple summer dress and sandals.

Larry rushed over to the hanging young woman. He checked for a pulse on her ankle but realized they were too late. She was already dead. Rigor mortis had already set in.

Larry waited patiently nearby while Tory placed the call to 911 on her cell phone.