Murder in Vail (18 page)

Chapter Fifty-three

Gwen rolled over in her queen-size bed, opened a weary eye, and peeked at the clock radio on the end table. Nearly 10:30 a.m. She never slept this late, but yesterday had been exhausting, even more tiring than the day before if that was possible. All those questions! They’d kept her in the interview room for over six hours.

And now they wanted her back in by noon. Just enough time to shower and get a quick breakfast in the coffee shop downstairs. She dialed her mother’s room. Sally answered the phone on the first ring. “Mom, do you want to get some breakfast?”

“Sorry, Gwen, I had breakfast two hours ago. Didn’t want to wake you. I’ll come sit with you, though, and have another cup of coffee.”

“Okay. I have to take a shower first. See you downstairs at 11 o’clock?”

“Sounds good.” Sally hung up, walked to the window, and pulled back the drapes covering the sliding glass door to the balcony. No snow today and not a cloud in the sky. She wondered how much longer they would have to stay at the hotel. She just wanted to go home and swim in her pool and play with her dogs.

But most of all, she wondered what was happening with the investigation. Every time she asked that nice young detective, she clammed up. Sally was curious about what was going on at the house and how her family members were being treated by the police. And, most of all, she wanted to know if they were any closer to finding out who had tried to smother her and had killed Rachel. What if they never found out?

Sally rode down the elevator to the hotel restaurant and found Gwen already there, sipping a cup of coffee and nibbling on a bagel. Sally ordered a cup of coffee.

Gwen had the local newspaper spread out in front of her. She turned it around so Sally could see. “Well, it’s all over the news,” she told her.

The headline read, “Murder Attempt on Braddock Heiress; Family under Investigation.” A subhead to the article read, “Daughter-in-law Dies Mysteriously.” An eight-year-old photo of Sally and her husband at a Vail charity event ran with the picture.

“Oh God,” Sally moaned, turning the paper over. “I can’t deal with that right now.” 

They had a booth by the window with a perfect view of the ski runs down the mountain that were packed with holiday skiers. They sat in silence for several moments staring out the window.

“I would love to be out there right now,” Gwen said with a sigh.

Sally smiled. “The ski bug has bitten you.”

“It sure has. Skiing down the mountain was so much fun. I really want to go out again before I go home.”

“Then we will,” Sally said. “As soon as the police are finished with us. My wrist is almost healed.”

“That’s good,” Gwen said. “Thank goodness you didn’t sprain it. You would have been out for a while.”

Talking about skiing reminded Gwen of something she had been meaning to do. She reached in her purse and took out her checkbook and a scrap of paper she had been saving. She wrote a check for $300.

“This is for the boys who gave me the ride on the ATV.”

She showed her mother the check, and Sally raised her eyebrows. “That’s a pretty big check for two teenagers.”

“I know. They had me over a barrel, though, and could set their own price. So they did. They weren’t feeling the holiday spirit.”

“That’s the way of the world, I guess.” Sally sighed.

“I know. It was a really long ride, though, so I guess they deserved it.”

Gwen asked the waitress for a hotel envelope. She brought it to Gwen a few minutes later. Gwen dug into her wallet and found a stamp. “I’ll mail it from the front desk on our way out.”

Gwen peered out the window toward the mountains. “I wonder what’s happening up there, now. Do you think they’ve discovered anything?”

Sally shrugged. “Nobody tells us anything.”

Gwen eyed her mother curiously. “Mom, are you going to be comfortable living in the house after everything that’s happened? With Rachel being murdered in your bed?”

Sally grimaced. “I don’t know. I’ve thought about it, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I guess I’ll have to see how I feel when I go back. But I love the house so much. I hate to think of moving.”

Gwen nodded. “It’s a hard decision. Like you say, it will depend on how you feel being there when you get back. I can’t think of anything worse than having to move out of the home I love. It would kill me.”

Sally felt a little pang of guilt, but she forced herself to ignore it. She hoped her daughter’s financial situation wasn’t so dire that she would lose her house. If it was, though, she had no one to blame but herself. She and Glen were both so extravagant in their spending habits. She might have to learn the hard way to control her spending.

Gwen glanced at the policewoman standing near the door of the restaurant who was waiting to drive them to the police station. Gwen noticed she kept looking at her watch.

“I think it’s time to go, Mom,” Gwen said, nodding toward the policewoman and dropping a twenty dollar bill on the table.

Sally took one more sip of coffee and stood up. “Look, Gwen,” Sally said, pointing out the window. “Here comes another police helicopter. I’ll bet it’s coming from the house.”

Gwen glanced up. She wondered if they were getting closer to finding out who tried to kill her mother.

In the back of the helicopter, sitting uncomfortably with handcuffs scratching against his wrists, Glen looked down at Vail Village and wondered where his wife was.
Please let her believe me,
Glen thought. What if she thinks I’m guilty too? He was counting on her to find him a lawyer—a good one—right away.

Chapter Fifty-four

The patrol car carrying Gwen and Sally back to the police station was just pulling into the parking lot when the helicopter touched down and the doors opened.

Two uniformed officers stepped out first, and then took Glen by the arms to help him out. Gwen waved when she saw Glen, not realizing at first that he was in handcuffs. She waved again and called his name.

“Gwen!” Glen shouted. “Get me a lawyer. They think I did it. I’m innocent!”

Stunned, Gwen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This could not be happening. She started to run toward her husband, but the policewoman stopped her as Glen disappeared behind the corner of the building.

Sally hadn’t moved, her face frozen in astonishment. When Gwen saw her mother’s expression, she hurried to her side. “Mom, I can’t imagine why they arrested Glen, but I just know he didn’t do this. He loves you, Mom. He’s told me so many times that he loves you like you’re his own mother. He wouldn’t do this.”

Clearly shaken, Sally responded. “But why would they arrest him? They must have some evidence.”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

Gwen took her mother’s elbow, and they rushed into the station. Detective Belton was waiting for them in the lobby.

“Why has my husband been arrested?” Gwen demanded.

“Please,” the detective said calmly to the two women, “let’s discuss this in my office. Come with me.”

Gwen scanned the rooms they passed through on the way to the detective’s office, hoping to catch a glimpse of Glen. But he was nowhere in sight.

“Please take a seat, both of you,” Detective Belton said when they reached her office.

“What is going on?” Gwen demanded.

“Detective Jackson will fill you in fully when he arrives. He’s finishing up at your house and will be down early this afternoon. What I can tell you is that DNA evidence was found at the scene of both crimes linking the assaults to your husband.”

“DNA?” Gwen gasped. “What do you mean? What kind of DNA evidence?”

“Hair,” the detective answered. “Hair follicles matching your husband’s DNA were found in both of the beds where Rachel Braddock was killed and where your mother was attacked.”

Gwen and Sally were both stunned.

“But how do you know it’s his hair?” Gwen asked.

“Everyone who was staying in the house submitted to DNA testing. Because of the situation, the lab was able to rush the results. We also asked your husband if he would submit a hair sample, which he did. The hair was a physical match to your husband’s, and the DNA test confirmed that it was indeed his hair. Both he and others in the house told our investigators that he had not been near either bed.”

Gwen stopped to think. She looked at the ceiling, trying to recall, “I remember Glen was definitely in both of the rooms. Everyone was. I was nearest to the beds, taking their pulses. I remember Glen came up behind me, but—” She looked away. “We need to get a good lawyer.”

Chapter Fifty-five

An hour later, Glen was led into an interview room where both Detective Jackson and Detective Belton were waiting for him.

“What possible evidence do you have against me?” Glen bellowed at the detectives, pacing around the room.

“Please sit down, Mr. Sherman,” Detective Belton told him.

“I want a lawyer,” Glen demanded. “This is ridiculous.”

Glen continued to pace, finally sitting when a police officer posted at the door took a step toward him. He stared around the dreary room. What was he doing here? He wished he’d never left Palm Beach to come to this Godforsaken state. He hated snow, he hated mountains. He missed the ocean and his boats. He just wanted to go home.

“Mr. Sherman,” Jackson began. “You have been arrested for these crimes because there is substantial DNA evidence against you.”

“DNA evidence?” Glen exclaimed. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“We have found several strands of your hair at both crime scenes,” he said. “In fact, strands of your hair were found in Rachel Braddock’s hand.”

Glen was stunned. “In her hand?”

“Yes, in her hand. And three of your hairs were found in the bed where the attack was made on Sally Braddock.”

Glen seemed bewildered. “But that’s impossible. I mean, I was in both rooms afterward, but I wasn’t near the bed. How is this possible?”

“And there is other evidence. The pillow used in the attack on Sally Braddock was found under the bed in your bedroom.”

“What?”

“In addition, your fingerprints were found on the doorknob of the room where Sally Braddock spent the night.”

“Now that, I can explain,” Glen said, leaning forward, staring hopefully at Detective Jackson. “When my wife Gwen disappeared, I searched the house for her. I thought she might somehow have gotten into the room where Sally was. I tried the door, but it was locked.”

Quiet for most of the questioning, Detective Belton opened a file that had been sitting on the table.

“We also have looked into your financial statements,” she said, “and see that you have some looming debts that you and your wife do not have enough in your accounts to cover.”

“We were managing,” Glen said defensively. “Everybody has more debt than savings. I had some irons in the fire, and we had discussed downsizing.”

Detective Belton pulled a stack of text messages printed out from a cell phone account and spread several pages out on the table.

“And then there’s the matter of your cell phone records, Mr. Sherman. We have found a number of calls and texts that, shall we say, are questionable for a married man.”

Suddenly, Glen looked very uncomfortable.

“What right do you have to go into my cell phone records? I can call who I want.”

“Yes, you can,” Detective Belton said. “But your wealthy wife might be interested to know about some of your texts to other women. You made some big promises to a couple of different women, Mr. Sherman. They sounded like you didn’t intend to be married much longer and that you were expecting to come into a great deal of money.”

Glen didn’t say anything for several moments. “Well, what people say and what they do are two totally different things. I was just doing a little flirting. It was nothing serious. I love my wife.”

Detective Belton took the cell phone printouts and put them back in her file.

“Mr. Sherman, if your mother-in-law was out of the picture, you and your wife stood to inherit over $650 million. For a man in your financial position, that was more than enough of a motive to commit murder.”

Glen’s eyes flared. He grabbed hold of the table and pushed himself up.

“I want a lawyer, and I want to see my wife!” Glen demanded, beginning to pace the room again. “I don’t want her hearing all of this garbage from you without hearing my side of it too. I’m not saying another word to either one of you until I see a lawyer.”

Chapter Fifty-six

Lance was in his element. He spent the entire flight down the mountain sitting in the seat beside the pilot, leaning over to compare notes with him about flying, discussing the latest in helicopter technology, and telling him stories about flying in Los Angeles.

Yvette filed her nails, Stephen seemed lost in thought, and Helga sat with her back to the others, staring out the window. Goldie and Silver stretched out on the floor at Stephen’s feet. Duchess was in Yvette’s purse, and the bigger dogs were so distracted by all the activity that they didn’t even seem to notice her.

When the helicopter landed, waiting police cruisers piled their luggage in the trunk and drove them to the Marriott Hotel less than a mile away. Goldie and Silver were taken to a kennel near the police station.

When they reached the hotel, Stephen immediately called his mother’s room from the hotel lobby. Thrilled to hear his voice, Sally said she would come down to the lobby right away to see them. Gwen, she told him, was still at the police station.

When Sally stepped out of the elevator, Stephen ran to hug her. Lance and Yvette weren’t far behind.

“It’s so good to finally be able to hug you all!” Sally cried. “It was so horrible not knowing who I could trust and who I couldn’t trust.”

Helga waited until the family was done and then stepped forward. “Sally, happiest day of my life when you walk into that room. I so happy you alive.”

“Oh, Helga. That means so much to me. You’re such a dear friend.” They gave each other a long hug.

“Mother, come sit down,” Lance said, leading her to a large sectional couch in the lobby. “How are you feeling? Did the doctor check you out?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. No damage was done.”

“And your wrist?”

“Just bruised. Not a sprain. It’s almost healed.”

“How is Gwen?” Stephen asked. “In shock, I imagine.”

“She’s devastated. Absolutely devastated. She’s waiting to get the rest of the details from Detective Jackson and is hoping to get in to see Glen this afternoon.”

“I’m sorry for Gwen, but I hope they put him away for life,” Stephen said. “My poor Rachel.”

Sally looked sympathetically at her son and put her arm around him. “My poor Stephen. Thank God they found out who did it.”

“Can you imagine being married to a murderer?” Yvette said, cringing. “Poor Gwen.”

She sat down next to Sally and took hold of her hand. “I’m so glad they found out who did this to you, Sally. It doesn’t surprise me at all that it was Glen. I just want you to know that I’ll do everything I can to help Gwen get through this.”

Touched, Sally said, “Thank you, Yvette. That’s very sweet of you.”

Lance spoke up. “Do you know what evidence they have on him? Why was he arrested?”

“Well,” Sally told the group, “It looks like they have him dead to rights. His hair was found on both beds. DNA showed it was definitely Glen’s. ”

“DNA?” Lance said. “Wow.”

“You know, I never liked Glen very much,” Stephen said. “Didn’t like the way he treated Gwen. I always thought he just married her for her money. Then he was so extravagant in spending it. Did you see that watch he was bragging about? It cost over a hundred thousand dollars!”

Yvette agreed. “He wasn’t nice to her at all. I’m glad they caught him.”

Sally glanced across the room and her eyes lit up as a tall man crossed the lobby toward them.

“Sally!” Robbie cried, wrapping her in a tight hug. “My God! I’ve been so worried about you since I read about what happened in the paper. How are you?”

“I’m better now,” she said, smiling and self-consciously smoothing back her hair. “It’s been quite an ordeal. But they’ve made an arrest, so it’s almost over.”

The others stood by curiously, watching the two of them talk.

“Oh, where are my manners? Robbie, these are my sons Stephen and Lance, Lance’s wife Yvette, and my friend Helga.”

They all shook hands, and Yvette whispered to Sally, “I’ll bet he’s the hot one, isn’t he?”

Sally tried not laugh and nodded slightly.

“And where’s Gwennie?” Robbie asked.

An uncomfortable silence followed. “She’s at the police station, Robbie. Her husband has been arrested.”

“Oh gosh. Poor Gwen. I hate to hear that.”

“It looks like they have DNA evidence on him,” Sally told him.

Robbie shook his head. “Well, at least they caught the culprit. They should throw him in jail and throw away the key for what he did to you and your family.”

Sally nodded. “Thank you, Robbie. It’s been quite an ordeal.”

Robbie stepped forward to give her another comforting hug, and Sally noticed over his shoulder that both of her sons were frowning. As they continued their conversation, Lance and Stephen kept eyeing Robbie suspiciously. Sally could see that they were making him uncomfortable.

“Well, I need to be getting back to the store. I heard you were staying here and just wanted to stop by to see if you were doing okay. Remember, I’ll be giving you a call in a few days about that dinner.”

Sally smiled self-consciously. “Thanks for stopping by, Robbie. I’ll talk to you later this week.”

After Robbie left, Yvette was all smiles. “Sally, he’s really nice. And handsome too!”

Stephen and Lance exchanged glances, but neither said anything. They just looked like they were glad he was gone.