Skein of the Crime (25 page)

Kelly picked up her knitting where she’d left off. Was that possible? Could Barbara cold-bloodedly give her son’s girlfriend an overdose? She’d certainly know how much to give Holly. Barbara was a nurse . . . and . . .

Another thought buzzed forward. Barbara had a back problem. The girl who showed up at the felting class yesterday was Barbara’s physical therapist. She asked how Barbara’s back was doing. Barbara had gone to the orthopedic health center for treatment and therapy. No doubt Barbara’s doctor prescribed medicine. Barbara said she’d recovered “thanks to Dr. Hensley” and PT exercises.

Kelly knitted another row. The thoughts buzzed faster as she began to picture Barbara picking up Holly from the party and giving her the pills. No doubt, Holly would take whatever pills Barbara told her to. After all, Barbara was a nurse. Did Barbara drive her around for a while until Holly got sleepy? Then, she took her out on the river trail and left Holly to fall asleep and die.

Another thought buzzed in front of Kelly’s eyes. Vagrant Malcolm said he saw a “man” with Holly that night. A man wearing a dark hooded jacket. Could that have been Barbara? She’s certainly a tall, big-boned woman. She could definitely be mistaken for a man, especially in the dark.

Another row, then another formed on Kelly’s needles as the disturbing scenario unfolded inside her head. Holly would willingly trust Barbara. And by the time Barbara dumped Holly on the trail, Holly was probably so disoriented she didn’t even know what was happening. Hadn’t Malcolm said the young girl stood up and tried to walk then fell down and didn’t move again?

Kelly tried to rein in her chaotic thoughts. They seemed to take on a “scripting” life of their own. Buzzing and buzzing. She glanced at her watch, then grabbed her cell phone and punched in Lisa’s number. Client accounts were calling her. She had to push these racing thoughts aside so she could return to her cottage and client accounts. There was softball practice tonight, thankfully. No inner scenarios allowed on the field.

Lisa picked up after the third ring. “Hey, Kelly, what’s up? Don’t forget practice tonight.”

“Already on my day planner. I have a quick question. If someone’s been in a car accident and had lots of back problems, what sort of prescription medicines would doctors use?”

“Are you asking for someone, Kelly?”

“No, simply my own information. Ever since I had that meeting with the detective, I’ve been curious about certain drugs.”

“Well, most of the docs over here prescribe one of the big three. Vicodin, Percocet, and, of course, OxyContin.”

“Yeah, the detective said those are the same three narcotic painkillers that show up on the drug party scene. People get them illegally then sell them. Now I know why they’re so common. That’s what doctors are prescribing all the time.”

“You got it. And some docs are more lenient than others about refilling prescriptions,” Lisa said.

“No wonder so many wind up on the street.”

“Hey, gotta get back to work. See you tonight.” Her phone clicked off.

Kelly tossed her phone into her bag along with the nearly finished knitted hat. Lisa wasn’t the only one who had to return to work.

Kelly
stood on her back patio and watched Carl sniff around the yard while she finished up her first mug of morning coffee. Several client e-mails had kept her busy with account work and—more important—kept her mind from wandering off to conjure. She’d left a message on Burt’s cell phone earlier this morning but hadn’t heard from him yet. She needed to explain these suspicions to Burt and see what he said. Either she was off base, or she was on to something. Burt had good instincts.

Her cell phone jangled as it lay on the desk, and Kelly bolted through the open glass door to grab it before it went to voice mail. Burt’s name and number flashed on the screen.

“Hey, Kelly, sorry I couldn’t call before. I’ve been at a community meeting. What’s up?”

“I wanted to run some things past you, Burt. You’re my barometer, you know. Do you have a few moments to talk?”

“Well, I’m about to pull into a shopping center, so let me park, then I’ll give you my full attention.”

Kelly poured more coffee into her mug then sat in her leather desk chair. Meanwhile, sounds of driving came over the phone. Then Burt returned. “All parked?” she asked.

“All settled. So shoot. What’s on your mind?”

“Okay . . . this may sound a little crazy at first, but just hear me out, Burt, before you say anything. Patty came over yesterday and told me something that bothered both of us. A friend of hers who was at the party said she talked to Holly that night when she was standing outside. Holly told her she was waiting for Tommy’s mother to pick her up and—”

“What was that?”

“That’s what I said.” Kelly took another deep breath. “This girl Francesca says she saw Barbara pick up Holly that night. She recognized Barbara from her doctor’s office, and she recognized the car. A black Honda sedan with a Broncos sticker on the back.” She paused for his reaction.

Burt didn’t say anything at first. Then he asked in a quiet voice, “Is this girl positive it was Barbara?”

“Patty said she asked Francesca the same thing. And Francesca swears it was Barbara. She grew up with Tommy and Patty and Holly, so she recognized Barbara when she saw her.”

“I don’t understand why Barbara didn’t say anything about picking up Holly,” Burt said in his quiet voice. Kelly recognized his thoughtful tone. Burt was having some of the same questions arise that she did.

“Neither do I, Burt. But Patty and I suspect that Barbara probably dropped Holly off at her apartment. Then Holly must have called that boyfriend Eddie she’d been seeing. Barbara probably felt guilty she didn’t keep track of Holly that night. Francesca said Holly was already drunk. That’s why Barbara didn’t say anything. She didn’t want Tommy to know she was involved.”

“That might explain it. Since Holly was seen with a guy on the trail, it had to be that Eddie.”

“That’s what I figured, too. Then after Patty left, I started thinking about it, and something about that picture didn’t make sense, Burt.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like why would Eddie give Holly that many pills? Investigator Frobischer said it would take about eight to ten pills to be a fatal overdose in someone who wasn’t used to them. Eddie wouldn’t deliberately give Holly an overdose. He
sold
pills. She was a customer. Plus, she was his girlfriend. Why would he do that?”

Burt paused. “Yeah, I see what you mean, Kelly. It doesn’t make sense. Unless
he
was so high he wasn’t paying attention.”

“That didn’t make sense either, Burt. And it kept bothering me, until something else popped up. Maybe someone else gave Holly a deliberate overdose of pain pills. Someone who knew how many pills were fatal.”

“Who would do that?” Burt’s tone was skeptical.

Kelly paused. “Barbara.”

“
What!
That’s crazy, Kelly!”

“Yeah, I know, but hear me out. We all knew how much Barbara resented Holly’s selfish manipulation of Tommy. And Barbara made no secret of her feelings about Holly’s behavior. I remember her saying that Holly was ‘on a self-destructive path’ that would lead to a bad end.”

“That was simply a mother’s concern, Kelly. You can’t be seriously thinking Barbara would kill Holly. I mean . . . Holly was screwed up and self-destructive, but that’s not a reason to kill someone.”

“Maybe it was for an overly protective mother like Barbara,” Kelly suggested. “Maybe she snapped. Holly knew Tommy was studying in Denver, yet she was calling him to drop everything and drive back to Fort Connor and take care of her. As usual. Maybe that was the last straw for Barbara.”

Burt didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “I still don’t buy it, Kelly. I’ve known Barbara for years. She’s a big, bossy gal who likes to tell people what to do, but she’s not cruel. And leaving Holly to die along the trail was cruel.”

“I agree, Burt. But I don’t know Barbara as well as you do. Therefore I’m not influenced by past experiences with her. I simply look at her as she is now—”

“Wait a minute, Kelly. You’ve forgotten something important. That old vagrant along the trail saw a man with Holly that night. How do you explain that, Sherlock?”

Kelly couldn’t help smiling. “As you pointed out earlier, Barbara’s a big woman. Put her in a dark jacket with the hood up, and it would be easy to mistake her for a man, especially at night.”

Burt didn’t reply at first, then grumbled, “Okay, you’re right on that point. But I still think you’re mistaken about Barbara.”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong, Burt. I’m not trying to make Barbara guilty. I’m simply not ruling out any possibility and trying not to make assumptions. As I’ve said before, people are often not what they seem. And anyone is capable of murder if they have enough reason. You know that, Burt.”

Burt sighed out loud. “Yeah, I know, Kelly. I know. So, what do you plan to do?”

“I think you and I should talk with Barbara. Just a friendly chat. Tell her what we learned and see how she responds. That will tell us a lot, watching her reaction. She probably doesn’t think anyone knows she picked up Holly.”

“Okay, I’ll give her a call and see if she can swing by the shop this morning. I remember she has today off so she was planning to come in and choose some fibers for another class project. We can go into the back of the café and talk.”

“Thanks, Burt. That would sound a lot more natural with your calling. By the way, I’m curious. Why didn’t you quiz me on how Barbara got the narcotic pain pills? You questioned me on everything else.”

“Because I already know. Barbara was taking OxyContin for her back injury years ago. She told Mimi and me that she didn’t like to take the pills because they were addictive. So she never used all the pills.”

 

 

 

“Want some coffee, Barbara?” Kelly asked as Julie poured a dark stream into her mug. The café was emptier than normal today, and no one was sitting in the back alcove.

Barbara waved her hand as she approached the corner table. “No, thanks. I’m good.”

Burt took a sip from his mug. “Decided what you’re going to teach for the winter classes yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m getting close,” Barbara said, pushing up her university sweatshirt sleeves as she settled into the chair. “So, what’s happening? Do you and Mimi want me to teach another class or something?”

Kelly settled into the chair beside Burt and watched him assume his “serious talking” pose. Hands folded, leaning forward over the table.

“Well, maybe so. But actually Kelly and I were curious about something. I’ll let Kelly explain.”

Kelly paused and chose her words carefully. Barbara had an I’m-busy-don’t-waste-my-time expression on her face. “You know Tommy asked Burt and me to find out what we could about that college party scene Holly was involved in.”

Barbara rolled her eyes. “Yes, and I appreciate what you and Burt are doing. It keeps Tommy from wasting his time and jeopardizing his studies by coming down here.”

Kelly gave her a smile. “Well, I’ve been e-mailing Tommy everything I’ve learned, hoping that he’d find some sense of closure—”

“Thank you,” Barbara repeated.

“But I learned something yesterday that bothers me and Burt, too.” She gestured to him. “And we wanted to ask you about it.”

Barbara stared at Kelly, a puzzled look replacing the impatience. “What is it?”

“One of the girls who was at the party said she saw you pick up Holly from the party that night. And Burt and I were wondering why you never mentioned it before. The girl said she recognized you from the doctor’s office and also recognized your car.” Kelly sipped from her coffee mug, watching Barbara’s reaction.

It came swiftly. Total surprise. Barbara’s eyes went wide and a startled expression appeared. Her mouth dropped open as well. She didn’t say a word.

Burt’s quiet voice came. “We were wondering why you never mentioned that. Did you tell Tommy?”

“No . . . I . . . I couldn’t,” Barbara stammered, her wide eyes looking anxious, as she glanced from Kelly to Burt.

Was that fear? Kelly wondered, watching capable take-charge Barbara stammer in obvious confusion. Clearly, Barbara didn’t think anyone knew she’d picked up Holly that night. Burt and Kelly were right.

“We wondered what sort of condition Holly was in. We’d heard she was drinking heavily that evening,” Burt continued, as if he had been leading the investigation. Kelly was grateful. Barbara trusted Burt, so maybe she’d tell him the truth.

Barbara’s mouth twisted. “She was drunk, of course. Like she always was whenever she called.”

“Were you afraid she’d call Tommy if you didn’t pick her up from the party?”

Barbara gave Kelly a grateful look. “That’s exactly right.”

“Did you take Holly to her apartment?” Burt asked.

“Yes, and I told her to go upstairs and sleep it off.” Barbara made an exasperated sound. “Of course, she promised she would. Obviously, she didn’t. Otherwise, how would she have wound up on the river trail?”

“Did she call you again to tell you where she was?” Burt asked.

Barbara shook her head. “No, I didn’t hear a word, and I was up for most of the night, too. I was so upset I couldn’t get to sleep after that.”

“Upset?” Burt prodded gently.

“Yes. Upset with Holly.” Barbara’s frown spread. “I couldn’t believe she’d call me asking why she couldn’t reach Tommy. She was obviously drunk. I told her he had his cell phone off because he was studying the whole weekend.” She gave a disgusted snort. “Then she asked if I would come and get her. As if we were her personal taxi service. I told her to get a ride with one of her friends at the party. She said she asked Patty, but Patty didn’t bring her car, and everyone else was still partying.”