Death Changes Everything (15 page)

“So what happens now? Won’t it all go to Della anyway?” asked Matt.

“He and Della set up a living trust years ago. The trust is more than enough to support Della in comfort. He’d settled Steven’s share of the business on him when he retired. Since he never had a chance to change the ‘male only’ ownership clause in Hill Energy, the rest will bypass Pam and go to Ryan. Pam will inherit everything else.”

“How much is that?” asked Matt.

“Rough estimate?”

“That’ll do.”

“You’d have to consult his financial advisor, but I’d guess Roger’s estate, not including Hill Energy, is valued at around ten million dollars.”

“Which Pam gets to keep for herself instead of having to split it with a brother she hated. You didn’t think that was something you should have told me? That sounds like a whopping good motive for murder.” Matt’s voice betrayed his frustration.

“It’s only been seventeen days since Steven died Matt,” argued Jake. “I assumed Roger would change the will. How could I have known he would have a heart attack and die before he could do that?”

“What if Pam Young killed her father so he couldn’t change the will? Did you think of that?” Matt was fast moving beyond frustration and into anger.

“Roger Hill was murdered? Now who’s holding out?” asked Jeb.

“I don’t know. I asked the Coroner to look into it but she hasn’t issued a cause of death yet.”

“I’m sorry, Matt. It never occurred to me that Pam might have killed Steven or that she might kill her own father. I really hope that isn’t what happened.” His honest regret deflated Matt’s anger. “I had no idea it might be connected.”

Matt took a deep breath and spoke slowly. “People think it’s easy being a detective. If a little old lady in a mid-century English village can do it, how hard can it be, right? Only in real life, there’s no author in the background making sure I stumble across the right clues at the right time. If I miss something, a real killer goes free. Maybe he kills someone else before I get to him.”

“Did Pamela even know about the terms of the will?” Grace interrupted. “Don’t most people put a clause in their will addressing the possibility that a beneficiary may predecease them? I know I have that in my will. My attorney told me it was standard practice.”

“It is standard practice. Roger was superstitious and he thought putting that in would be bad luck.”

“Could she have seen the will?”

“I have the official copy. I know she hasn’t seen it.”

“Wouldn’t Roger have had a copy?”

“He did. He would have kept it in his…” Jake’s voice trailed off and his face went white.

“In his safe.” Matt finished Jake’s sentence. “The safe that was cleaned out the day before Steven Hill was murdered? That safe?”

“I don’t know for certain he kept it there. He may have had a safe deposit box.”

“Steven Hill told me his father didn’t believe in them. He also told me that his sister was one of the few people who had the combination.”

“Pam could have gone in anytime and she would have used her own code. No one would question why she was there any more than they’d question Steven being there,” Emma pointed out. “If she wanted to see the will, why not just sit there and read it? Why stage a burglary?”

“But why would she murder Steven? That gets her nothing unless she also kills her father. If she were going to commit a double homicide, wouldn’t she take time to carefully plan it out? Steven was killed with his own gun. That sounds like a spur of the moment thing to me.”

“Do you want me to bring Mrs. Young in for questioning?” asked Brugnick.

“Not yet. We need the coroner to tell us whether Roger’s death was a homicide and, if it was, we need to know how Pam would be able to make it look like a heart attack. If he died of natural causes, Grace is right. It makes no sense for her to kill her brother and hope her father will die before he can change the will. We need some answers before we put pressure on a woman who’s sure to lawyer-up.”

“I could to talk to Pam,” offered Emma. “It would make sense for me to stop by to check on her after the spectacle she made of herself.”

“I don’t want any more amateur assistance. I know you mean well, Emma, but this was a bad idea from the start. I may not be one hundred percent yet, but I’m strong enough to get back in the saddle. At least part-time. For the rest, I’ve got Morty. You’re up to it, right?”

“Just point me in the right direction. I’ll be your Hastings while you sit back and exercise the little gray cells.” Matt rolled his eyes. “Hey, you’re the one who started tossing out Agatha Christie references.”

“C’mon woman!” Matt got up, looking exhausted. “Take me home while I still have my sanity.”

“Let me get my coat and purse,” she told him.

“I’ll show you where I hid them.” The two women disappeared down the hall, leaving Matt and Jake standing awkwardly, neither willing to break the silence. When Kristy returned, she gave Grace a hug and said goodbye to Jeb and Jake. Brugnick, who had ridden with them, trailed along behind.

“I guess that’s my cue,” said Jeb.

“I’ll walk you out,” offered Grace.

Emma started to clean up the dinner dishes, packing away leftovers and tucking dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “I am such an idiot,” said Jake, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“You made a mistake, that’s all Jake.”

“A stupid one. That may have cost Roger his life.”

“Roger died of a heart attack.”

“You don’t know that.” Jake started to leave the kitchen but Emma stopped him. She tossed her dishtowel onto the counter and forced him to look her in the eyes.

“You’re a smart man, Jake. You even have flashes of brilliance, but you’re only human and that’s what’s killing you right now.” Jake tried to pull away, but Emma stood her ground. “You made an honest mistake and frankly, I think Matt made way too big a deal about it because he’s feeling frustrated at not being out there interviewing witnesses himself.”

“But…”

“But nothing. We lost a few days, that’s all. Besides, I don’t believe Pam killed Steven. So she’ll get an extra five million dollars. She was already going to inherit more money than she can possibly spend.”

“You’d be surprised how much money someone can spend.”

“No doubt, Jacob, but for what it’s worth, I agree with Emma.” Grace had come inside so quietly they hadn’t heard her. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but now that I have, allow me to say one thing more. Then I will go to bed and get out of your way.”

“Grace, you’re never in our way.”

Grace waved away Emma’s assurances. “There are too many reasons why it doesn’t make sense for Pamela Young to have killed her brother. At least, not in the way he died or at the time. She bore a grudge against both him and her father, but fifteen years is a long time to bear a grudge.”

“Long enough to plan the perfect crime,” agreed Emma.

“Exactly. That means the killer is still out there. It may be someone we didn’t even talk about tonight because we got sidetracked talking about the will and Roger Hill’s sordid past. I’m convinced that when we’re looking at Pamela, we’re looking the wrong way.”

“I wish I could believe that, Grace.” Jake ran his hand through his hair. “Strike that. No, I don’t. If it’s Pam, at least we’re onto her and she can’t hurt anyone else.”

“That’s why I walked Jebidiah out to his car. I wanted to speak with him privately. He and I are in agreement that even if the police department no longer wants to work with us, we need to continue our efforts to find Steven Hill’s killer.”

“What did you have in mind?” asked Emma.

“We need to find the mystery woman from Steven’s funeral.”

“Valerie Smith?”

“Yes. She may have nothing to do with his death, but she had Roger Hill’s address so we know she is somehow connected to him. We need to find her.”

“The police have been looking for her. Where could we look that they haven’t already checked?”

“We’ll look where we know she’s been. Matthew’s apartment complex.”

“But the police already went door to door.”

“They sent uniformed officers to knock on doors on one afternoon of one day. That’s not the way to find someone who doesn’t want to be found. I think you and I will get better results.”

“Why would people talk to us? I bet they won’t even open the door.”

“Not to mention that when Matt finds out, he’s gonna kill you,” added Jake.

“My dear Jake, Matthew can’t possibly object to us doing a little old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning on your behalf.”

“Now I know Emma’s right. Nobody’s going to open the door to you.”

“Don’t smirk, Jacob. Just get us a supply of campaign materials—brochures, buttons, that kind of thing.”

“And one of those red, white, and blue straw hats,” suggested Emma. “I always wanted one of those.”

“That’s a good idea, Emma. Jacob, get one for me too, with a button in the brim that says…what is your campaign slogan?”

“I don’t have one. Nor do I have brochures or buttons or bumper stickers or signs.”

“Well, hop to it, Jacob. You can’t expect us to go out without them. We’d look silly.”

14

“So where do we go from here?” asked Brugnick.

Matt sat behind his desk, happy to be back in his office again, twirling his pen in his hand. “Did you verify Maddie Hill’s movements the morning of her husband’s death?”

Brugnick consulted his notes. “I checked with the stores where she said she shopped. She’s a regular and she spends pretty freely, so they remembered her. Spoke with the ladies she had lunch with, they confirmed she’s there every week and seemed perfectly normal to them.”

“Let’s start with Della Hill. I want to hear her version of events after her husband’s funeral. Then we’ll move on to Maddie and Pam. I want to talk to that finance guy at Hill Energy too. What’s his name?”

“Bruce Lewiston. What about Walter Winters?”

“What about him?”

“If the will says ‘my son,’ and not the name of the son, he might have a claim against the estate.”

“Jake wouldn’t be that careless since he knew there was an illegitimate son out there. Besides, Winters didn’t want Roger’s money when Jake was handing it to him. Why would he suddenly want it now? Even if he did, he’d kill Roger, not Steven.”

“Did the coroner call you?”

“She’s calling it natural causes. He had a heart attack brought on by stress. He was being treated for a weak heart and the autopsy showed advanced coronary artery disease and scarring on his heart from several smaller attacks.”

“That makes it even less likely that Pam killed Steven. Nobody’s that lucky.”

“That’s a gruesome way to look at it.” Matt picked up the phone on his desk and dialed.

“Jake Rand,” came the voice on the other end of the line.

“Jake, it’s Matt. Could you tell me when you’re doing the reading of the will for Roger Hill? I’d like to send Morty.”

“Nobody does formal readings anymore. I meet with the local beneficiaries and send certified letters to the rest.”

Matt winced at how stiff and formal his friend sounded. Still, he knew he was doing the right thing, both for Jake and for the investigation. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “Can Morty join you when you meet with Maddie Hill?”

“I’m not meeting with Maddie, partly because she’s not a beneficiary and partly because she and Melody left for Colorado this morning. I don’t expect her back until after Christmas.”

Matt swore under his breath. “She should know better than to leave town in the middle of a murder investigation. Why didn’t you stop her?”

“I’m not her attorney; and, if I were, I would have advised her to leave her contact information with the police and go. She’s not under arrest.”

“Jake, stop thinking like a defense attorney. You’re supposed to be on our team now.”

“You kicked me off the team, remember?”

Matt winced. “Did Maddie know that Roger hadn’t made arrangements for her and her children if Steven should die before him?”

“You mean, would she have had a financial incentive to keep him alive?”

“Something like that.”

“Even without what he stood to inherit from Roger, Steven was a wealthy man. I should think Maddie will have more than enough to live comfortably.”

“Did you write Steven’s will?”

“Steven had his own attorney.”

“Can I get copies of both wills?”

“Once a will is filed with the court, the contents become public. I’m sure Steven’s attorney will have done that by now. I haven’t had a chance to file Roger’s, but I’ll do that today. Can I ask whether the coroner made a determination on Roger’s cause of death?”

“Heart attack, nothing suspicious about it.”

“Thank God. I don’t think Della could have stood him being murdered.”

Brugnick waved his hands and passed Matt a note. Matt rolled his eyes. “Morty wants to follow up on Winters. Can you send me anything you have on him?”

“If it has a bearing on Steven’s murder. Does it?”

“If you ask me, no. Why would someone nobody’s heard from in years suddenly show up and shoot the brother he never knew?”

“Why don’t I check on his whereabouts? If he was nowhere near Casper, we drop it. If I can’t verify it, I’ll make Morty a copy of the file.”

“Jake…”

“I know you don’t want amateurs getting in your way, but I need to be convinced the information is germane to the case before I can feel comfortable releasing it. Give me a day to see if I can contact him.”

Matt rubbed his forehead, where the dull ache had started sending out shooting pains. “Fine. But if you can’t prove he was a thousand miles away, pass the information along and let us run with it.”

“I promise I won’t do anything more about Winters than what I’ve offered.”

“Why do I get the idea that you’re choosing your words carefully?”

“Because I’m a lawyer and that’s what lawyers do.”

“I hope that’s all it is.” Matt scowled at the phone as he hung up. He massaged his temples and leaned back in his chair.

“So, shall we head out to see Della Hill, then try to get over to see Maddie Hill before lunchtime?” asked Brugnick.

“Maddie’s on her way to Colorado. We’ll go talk to Della and see where that takes us.”

The phone rang and Matt picked it up, spoke briefly, then hung up. “I have to go see the Captain. Head over to the courthouse and see if you can get me a copy of Steven Hill’s will. Ask her to shoot me a copy of Roger’s as soon as Jake files it. Then light a fire under that auditor. I need the final report.”

“What about Della Hill?”

“Just do it, all right?” Matt rubbed the back of his neck and searched his desk for aspirin. After Brugnick left, he walked down the hall and knocked on Captain Danning’s door. He let himself in and sat down, waiting for the explosion.

“Detective Joyner, may I have a copy of your medical release form?”

“I don’t exactly have it with me.”

“Because you don’t have one. Would you like to tell me why you disregarded a direct order not to show your face around here until your doctor releases you to work?”

Danning leaned forward. “You have a headache.” It was not a question. “Tired all the time? Eyes sensitive to the light? Having trouble concentrating?”

“Not the last one.”

“How’d you do with today’s crossword puzzle?”

“It was a hard puzzle!”

“That puzzle was a walk in the park. My nine-year-old granddaughter finished it in sixteen minutes. Look Matt, I know you want to get back in the game, and I want you back, but this is crazy. You have a concussion. Broken bones, internal injuries.”

“I’m fine, Captain.”

“Which is why you look like death warmed over. I heard what happened with Jake Rand.”

“Is everybody spying on me?”

The smile fell away from Danning’s face, replaced by a stern look Matt had rarely seen. “Detective Brugnick reports to me, not to you. Disregard another direct order and I’ll bust you down to beat officer so fast your head’ll really be spinning. Are we clear on that, Detective?”

“Yes, sir.”

Danning rubbed the stubble on his chin. October was beard season and men all over town were in the early stages of growing theirs. “Rand made a mistake. I seem to remember you making a few of them when you were green.”

“Begging your pardon, sir, but a mistake can get a man killed. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

“Nor do I, but Rand’s an adult. He knows the risk. We’re between a rock and a hard place on this one. You can’t work until the doctor releases you. I’ll be walking a beat myself if the Chief finds out I’m letting you direct the investigation, but I need somebody I can trust calling the shots. I know you want to get out there, but you’ve got to learn to let your team do its job.”

“With all due respect, Captain, my
team
consists of my girlfriend, my best friend and his wife, an old woman, and a writer. Morty’s the only cop I’ve got.”

“As I recall, that team you just disparaged was instrumental in solving a thirty-year-old cold case that the police gave up on. Don’t sell them short. You’ve got an attorney and a therapist, both experts in asking questions and uncovering information. That
old woman
is a world-renown criminologist who usually commands a five-figure fee to consult with the police. As for Cannon, I don’t know if you’ve read his books, but he knows his way around the criminal mind.”

Matt’s head was throbbing so loudly he barely heard Danning dismiss him. He wanted nothing more than to go back to Kristy’s apartment and curl up on her sofa with a bag of ice on his forehead to knock down the pain. He took a deep breath and forced his eyes to focus. He made a call, then grabbed a set of keys from the department vehicle pool, and headed out.

***

By the time he pulled up in front of Della Hill’s home, Matt’s headache had eased. When he saw the truck parked in the driveway, it came rushing back. “What are you doing here?” he asked, when Jake opened Della’s door.

“Della asked me to sit in on her meeting with you. I would have done it out of respect for Roger anyway, but I’ll admit, I wanted to hear what she had to say.”

“Don’t advise her not to answer my questions.”

“Don’t ask her questions I’ll have to advise her not to answer. Why are you questioning Della anyway, if Roger’s death was a heart attack?”

“If you’re going to be a lawyer today, I can’t discuss that. You’ll have to wait until I ask the questions.”

“Are you feeling okay, Matt?”

“I’m fine. Shall we go?”

Jake ushered Matt into a small sitting room off the master bedroom. Della rose as the men entered and gestured toward two chairs. “Coffee, gentlemen?” she asked, reaching for a silver urn on the table beside her.

Matt held his questions until she had finished pouring and was seated again, holding her own china cup and saucer. “Mrs. Hill, please allow me to extend my condolences.”

Della nodded but did not speak so Matt continued. “I’m trying to get a better understanding of your family, Mrs. Hill, and the role each of them played in your son’s life and the family business.”

“I suspect you’ve heard about the little spat between Maddie and Pam?” Matt nodded, amused at her dismissing it as a little spat. “Gossip is the bane of existence in a small town, don’t you think Detective?”

“Yes ma’am. Has there always been tension between your daughter and daughter-in-law?”

Della sighed and put down her cup. “Those two have been on each other’s last nerve for years.”

“Never liked each other?”

“Oh, I suppose they liked each other as well as two people with nothing in common can. Pam was always fascinated with business and if she hadn’t had seven children to look after, she would have pursued a career. Maddie never wanted anything but to be a wife and a mother and she was happy making a home for her family. Since Guy went off to college, she’s started doing more charity work, but she never had Pam’s ambition.”

“I understand Pam once worked for your husband?”

“She worked part time after school all through high school and summers when she was in college. She has a degree in finance from Brigham Young University, you know. She just loves numbers. Always has. When she graduated, she went to work at Hill Energy. She was there off and on as her first few children were born, but eventually, the demands of her family pulled her away from the office. She’s expecting her first grandchild now.”

“Was leaving the company her idea?”

“Of course. Oh, I know there was some fuss made, but it wasn’t anything important. Pam could have gone back to work if she’d wanted to, as soon as her children were all in school, but she must not have wanted to do that.”

Matt and Jake exchanged glances, but neither interrupted Della. “Steven missed having Pam at the office. He used to tell me she knew her way around a balance sheet better than he did. His degree was in chemical engineering, you know, from UW. He was just like his father, more interested in the oil than the business of selling it.”

“Did Steven ever ask Pam to go back to work?”

“I imagine so. Hill Energy is a family business and Roger always said there was room in the business for any of the family who was willing to work. He didn’t want to just give them anything, mind you. Thought it ruined the children of wealthy families when they had things handed to them.”

“Will Maddie inherit Steven’s share of the business?”

“Maddie never had an interest in the business, as I told you. I believe Steven told me his share would be divided between Guy and Melody. Melody’s just like Pam. She has a real head for business. Maybe now she’ll move back home and get involved in Hill Energy. That would be lovely.”

“You’ve seen Steven’s will?”

“I don’t have to see it. We’ve always been very open in this family about finances. Roger always impressed upon our children the importance of good financial planning.”

“Then the content of the wills, both Steven’s and Roger’s, are known within the family?”