Death By Chocolate 6 (Mystery and Women Sleuths) (Josiah Reynolds Mysteries) (13 page)

I called Amanda early the next morning.

“Amanda, this is Josiah Reynolds.”

“Hi.”

“Just wanted to thank you again for giving me Susie’s phone number.”

“Did you get a hold of her?”

“Yeah. It was the strangest coincidence. When I got in touch, she just happened to be at the Bluegrass Airport waiting for a connection.”

“What luck.”

“Funny huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Amanda, I just have a few more questions if you don’t mind. What did Susie do at the office?”

“She handled all the paperwork for the office like the contracts.”

“Did she handle insurance?”

“That’s what she was best at. Susie had a real knack of understanding insurance of all types.”

“Did she handle insurance for any of the employees in the office?”

“Of course. I went through Susie to get several polices and she handled all the health insurance policies.”

“She handle life insurance?”

“Yes.”

“You know that five hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy that Dwight took out? Was that customary?”

“Most of us had smaller polices. Even Farley. I thought it odd that it would be so large an amount. I mean, Dwight was in excellent health and young. I didn’t think he needed a big policy like that. The premiums would have been very high.”

“Who handled that policy?”

“Susie.”

“Thanks Amanda. That’s all I wanted to know.”

I waited in the parking lot of the address in Frankfort that Boris had given me. I figured Susie would be the type to eat lunch out. So I hunkered down looking through my binoculars, munching on my tuna fish sandwich.

Finally around 1:20, Susie rushed to her car in the parking lot.

I hunkered down.

It was snowing, so she had her coat lapel pulled up around her face. Susie slowly drove out of the parking lot as it was covered with lots of black ice.

I followed at a discreet distance. Passing as she pulled into a chain restaurant’s parking lot, I doubled back and parked in the handicapped space, which gave me a good view of her table. I waited for her to get settled and to make sure she wasn’t having lunch with a friend.

After she placed her order, I got out of the car and headed inside. I made straight for her table.

“Hi,” I chirped sprightly. “How ya doing, Susie?”

Susie gave a start.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Mrs. Reynolds. Remember – we talked at the Bluegrass Airport. You were on your way to Houston.”

Catching her breath, Susie decided to brave my sucker punch. “Yes, I remember. Do you have any news of Dwight?”

“He’s still missing,” I chirped brightly after telling the waitress I didn’t want anything.

Susie looked downfallen. “Oh, that’s terrible.”

“Yeah, isn’t it? Funny running into you like this but it’s great. I still have some questions.”

I could tell Susie was trying to figure out if I had followed her or this was really a chance meeting. She decided to play along.

“Anything I can do to help.”

“Wonderful. Amanda said that you handled most of the office paperwork concerning insurance and health polices.”

“That’s correct.”

“Did you help Dwight with his five-hundred-thousand dollar life insurance policy?”

“Yes.”

“Amanda told me that no one else had such a large life insurance policy. Do you know why he took out such a large sum?”

“He wanted to make sure if something happened to him that Selena would never have to work.”

“Then why was Selena’s name not on the policy?”

Susie opened her mouth and closed it again. She truly looked stymied. “I don’t know. Her name was on the policy as the only beneficiary when I did the paperwork. Dwight must have had it changed after I left.”

“Why would he do that?”

Susie looked about for an escape. I could tell she was confused and just wanted to leave.

I lifted my cane into her booth seats so she would either have to push it out of the way or climb over it. Either way it would cause attention.

“Susie?”

“You’re embarrassing me.”

“It could get a lot worse. I’m notorious for causing scenes in public. Answer my questions truthfully and I will leave. But if I think you’re lying, I will do something unexpected and the police will probably be called.”

“Good,” she hissed.

“I don’t think so for you. I will call Detective Goetz and he will call the Frankfort police to hold you. The police will just give me a warning and let me go after I give them some lame story of my medication making me erratic. But they will make you wait for the indomitable Detective Goetz, who will want to know about your affair with Dwight Wheelwright and if you were really in Houston when he disappeared on July third.

“Go to hell,” Susie ranted.

“I wouldn’t make a run for it either. I let the air out of two of your tires before coming in.” I grimaced. “Sorry about that.”

“What do you want, bitch?”

“I can see that we are getting personal. Okay, you little twerp. Let’s have some answers. Whose idea was it for the life insurance policy? Why would Dwight bother if he was going to leave anyway?”

“It was Selena. She had been after him for months about it. He wanted to get her off his back.”

“Did she say why?”

“Just wanted that safety net, I guess. Dwight never discussed it with me. Just told me to get it.”

“And she was the only beneficiary?”

“Yes. I know that for a fact.”

“So it is a surprise to you that her name is not on the policy now?”

Susie nodded before taking a sip of her water. She dabbed her paper napkin in the water glass and patted her face.

“Were you really having an affair with Dwight?”

Susie paused for a moment and then said, “Yes.”

“Susie. You know if Dwight’s body pops up and his cause of death is murder, you might be charged with being an accessory or interfering with an investigation. I can think of several charges that might apply.”

Susie’s eyes took on the look that a rabbit has when she sees a big bobcat getting ready to pounce. “All right. I didn’t have an affair with Dwight.”

“Who told you to say that you did?”

“Farley. Farley paid me to tell anyone who asked to say that Dwight and I had been having an affair.”

“You didn’t think that bizarre?”

“Yes, I thought it strange but the money was too good. I took it and didn’t ask any questions.”

I gave Susie an odd look.

“Don’t you dare judge me,” spat out Susie. “I needed the money. I had some serious bills.”

“Did Farley give a reason why?” I asked.

“Just some bullshit excuse that Dwight wanted out and he was asking too much money for his half, so Farley wanted to stir up a little trouble for Dwight. Make his life a little miserable with Selena so Dwight would want out quicker and with less money.”

“I don’t see how that works.”

“Uh, duh, Selena thinks I’m having an affair with Dwight and pressures him to make a deal with Farley so Dwight would leave the business fast. He wouldn’t see me then.”

“Uh, duh, Susie, let’s say that’s true. How was that going to keep you two apart? Dwight could have seen you whenever he wanted. He didn’t have to go to the office to have an affair.”

“Not if Selena put the kabash on him. If Dwight denied having an affair with me, then she would think he was lying and keep him on a shorter leash.”

“Let me get this straight. Farley tells you that Dwight wants out and is negotiating for more money than Farley wanted to pay.”

Susie nodded her head.

“So Farley gets this idea that if he makes life miserable for Dwight by telling Selena that he is having an affair with a woman in the office, Selena will put pressure on Dwight to settle,” I repeated.

“That was the plan.”

“Did you ever talk to Selena?”

“Never saw her.”

“Did Dwight ever confront you?” I asked.

“No. He was cordial.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Farley thought it best before things exploded in the office. That’s what he said anyway. He got me this job in Frankfort with a buddy of his. It’s closer to home so I save money on gas. I’m happy with it plus I have the money Farley paid me.” Susie gave me a pained expression. I think it had just dawned on her how stupid she had been.

“So the only person you discussed this plan with was Farley?”

“And you. You were the only person who ever asked about it. Supposedly Farley told Selena this story and I was to back him up if she confronted me about it,” Susie confessed.

“Did Farley call you and tell you to expect my call?”

“Yeah. He told me he would pay me more money if I were to act as though I had been living in Houston and had been waiting for Dwight. I was at work when you called and probably got to the airport just minutes before you did.”

“That was a pretty good play – seeing me at the airport.”

“I thought it was rather smart. I knew when those Houston flights came in. If the flight had been a later time, I would have told you that I was still in Houston waiting for a flight and given you a later time to meet me at the airport. It was easy.”

“I wondered why you didn’t have any luggage with you,” I remarked.

Susie flashed me a smile. She thought I was complimenting her cleverness.

“I didn’t know Dwight was missing until Farley told me. I don’t take the paper or listen to the news. Too much stress. I was shocked,” admitted Susie. “After seeing you, I thought about calling Dwight’s mother but I realized I was in too deep. Something was not right and I didn’t want to get into trouble. Nobody from Dwight’s office really knew where I was currently living so I thought I was safe.”

“Did you ever go to Houston?”

“My mother remarried and moved there a few years ago. I did visit several weeks before I started my new job in Frankfort. As far as I was concerned I had just helped one of my bosses screw the other in a buy-out. It was business. Nothing more. But Dwight’s disappearance is something else. I didn’t bargain on that.”

“Do you think Farley had anything to do with Dwight’s disappearance?”

“Heavens no,” laughed Susie. “Farley’s a schemer, but that’s about it. He was just trying to knock the price down. If you want to look at someone, size up Selena. Now there’s a piece of work.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s what I inferred from all the stories Farley told me about her. He doesn’t like her. Said she was holding Dwight back. Always nagging.”

I didn’t know whom to believe. Everyone was telling the wildest stories but they did all seem to lead to Farley. If Farley disliked Selena so much, what was he doing sneaking out of her house at six in the morning?

“I want you to do something for me and I’m not going to pay you,” I demanded.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I want you to contact the insurance company that issued Dwight’s life insurance policy and find out who instigated the changing of the beneficiaries and anything else you can dig out from them.”

“What’s in it for me?” Susie insisted.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I can give you the answer right now. Only Dwight could change the beneficiary.”

“Just find out. Maybe someone other than Dwight made the call. I want to see who.”

Susie sighed while slumping her shoulders in defeat. “I guess I could do that.”

I just wanted to slap her stupid little face so much my hand twitched. “You have my number.” I got up to leave.

“If I were Dwight and had this on my plate, I would have just run off. Dwight’s probably in Florida right now having a good time, while the rest of us are worried sick.”

“Well, you’re not Dwight. He’s not a runner. He’s missing because something happened to him.”

Susie sneered at me. “And I guess you think you’re going to be the big honcho to solve his disappearance. Lady, you’re old and can barely walk. You’re good for nothing except being a nuisance.”

I gave Susie my sweetest smile. “Besides letting the air out of your tires, I broke your side mirror too. It was an accident. I stumbled into it since I can’t walk – just like you said. Bye, bye now.”

On the way out I heard Susie rush behind me and squawk about the damage to her car. As I was leaving the parking lot, she was on her cell phone – no doubt to the police about my vandalism.

I didn’t care. I really didn’t care.

She had hurt my friends with her lies and she was lying now. I just couldn’t pluck out the lies, but I would get to the truth eventually.

God as my witness, I surely would.

I confessed everything to Detective Goetz.

He leaned back in his chair and peered over his new glasses. “That was very unlady-like of you. I’m surprised.”

“Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?”

“How do you know this Susie Brinkman didn’t make advances toward Wheelwright and was rejected? Maybe she’s making stuff up for revenge?” asked Goetz.

“She called later after talking to the insurance company and an acquaintance in the office told her that Dwight came in himself and changed the name of the beneficiaries, giving the excuse that Selena was to receive a large bequest from her parents. My question is – was she?”

“No. I’ve already checked their finances. They don’t have any money or at least I couldn’t find a record of it.”

“Doesn’t this whole thing about the life insurance policy strike you as odd?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Goetz replied, shuffling some papers on his desk.

“What about the tooth?”

“You want to go out with me sometime?” Goetz asked suddenly.

I reared back in my chair. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I can tolerate you in small doses.”

“Wow. What a compliment. Let’s get back to talking about the case.”

“If that’s the way you want it.”

“The tooth fragments,” I insisted.

“His mother had kept all of Dwight’s baby teeth, so we did a DNA test after a cast was made of the tooth fragments. It turned out as you suspected. The tooth fragments were Dwight’s. It’s enough for a warrant in my book, even though the D.A. has some serious problems with the chain of evidence.”

“So you are finally taking this seriously.”

“There wasn’t a time I didn’t take his disappearance seriously. You seem to forget that I am a homicide detective. I needed justifiable cause to proceed.”

“Which I provided. What – no thank you?” I retorted.

“Since we are on that subject, you are to butt out. No more inquiries. If I hear that you are still snooping around, I will arrest you for interfering with an official investigation. I mean it.”

I started to interrupt him but I could tell from his demeanor that he meant what he said. “Will you keep me informed?”

“Hell no.”

“If that’s the way you want to leave it.” I gathered my cane and rose from the old-fashioned wooden swivel chair.

Goetz began walking me out. “You wouldn’t be sorry going out with me.”

“Oh, that again. If you’re such a catch, how come your wife divorced you and your girlfriend moved to Florida?”

“They said I was married to the police force.”

“Aren’t you supposed to retire soon?”

“Yep, but then I’m going to work for the District Attorney’s office.”

“Double-dipping.”

“Goetz gave me a big smile.

I had forgotten that he had dimples when he genuinely smiled. Thinking back, I realized when I had last seen him smile like that. It was on the first day we met, when he and O’nan had interrogated me about Richard Pidgeon’s demise.

Anger bubbled up my throat just remembering that day.

“I gotta go,” I said suddenly, and rushed out of the police station.

It wasn’t until I reached my car that I realized I was crying.