Leann Sweeney - The Cat, The Professor and the Poison

Candace’s features softened. Kara was endearing herself to Candace lately-in spite of her opinion that Kara was as spoiled as my cats. Candace turned slightly in the booth so she could look at Kara. “And how badly does Sarah VanKleet want that farm?”

“She’s found a lawyer in town already, one who knows about wills, estates and trusts. Brandt, who thinks he’s the legal wonder kid, helped with that.” Kara sipped her Coke through the straw, eyebrows raised. Then she said, “But your Chief Baca hasn’t been very forthcoming about whether he knows of any will or life insurance policies found in the house. That has Mrs. VanKleet a little irritable.”

We’d been thinking on the way back to Mercy about Evan’s relationship with Patrick Hoffman, but what about Sarah? She worked on campus and probably knew Hoffman, too. Douglas Lieber probably knew him as well, for that matter. I didn’t want to say anything about Hoffman without Candace’s okay, though.

Candace said. “Well, Sarah VanKleet can stay irritated. She divorced the professor.”

“But sons don’t divorce their father,” Kara said.

I said, “Did Brandt tell you that’s how she hopes to get her hands on any assets? Through her sons?”

“He didn’t come right out and tell me that,” Kara said, “but that’s the feeling I got.”

“Feelings,” Candace said. “Those aren’t facts, and that’s all I’m interested in right now. Who’s the lawyer? Jim Stevens?”

Tom removed his straw from his Coke. “That’s the only estate guy in town. Has to be him.” He took a drink.

“Wait a minute. Tom said cops rely a lot on instinct. And instincts aren’t facts, either,” Kara said.

“You’re nitpicking now. And I’m not really in the mood to talk about stuff you know nothing about,” Candace said.

Kara said, “But I’ve just given you valuable information, and-”

Tom held up a hand. “Hold on. You had an obligation to do exactly that, Kara. You did the right thing. Now, can we relax a little? Maybe enjoy each other’s company?”

“That’s a good idea,” I said. I’d had enough tension in the past few days to last a lifetime. Patrick Hoffman might have harmed Candace today, and I still couldn’t get that thought out of my head.

“You’re right, Tom,” Candace said. “Sorry to be snippy, Kara, but it’s been a long day.”

At first I thought Kara might pout and give us the silent treatment like she used to do years ago. But she said, “I think we got off on the wrong foot, Candace. You’re doing a great job, and I can see Jillian has found a true friend. I kind of envy that.”

I smiled at Kara. “Candace is awesome. But so are you, the way you’ve tried so hard to help.”

Kara answered with her eyes-with the same warmth her father had so often shared.

And the Texas chili dogs made everything that much better.

Kara had to take Tom home since she’d driven them both to the diner. Meanwhile, Candace and I went to the courthouse to drop off the cruiser and pick up my van. Though Candace had spoken with Mike Baca both while we were in Denman and again on the ride back to Mercy to fill him in on the day’s events, she called him on the way to my house to tell him what Kara had said. She did more listening than talking, however. Then she said something that I hadn’t expected but should have thought of myself.

“Concerning Kara Hart, you think I should warn her?” A short silence followed, and then she went on. “Inform her about Hoffman, give her a description. Since she’s staying with Jillian and Hoffman’s out there, we need to protect her, too.”

More silence, and then she disconnected.

“You’re right about Kara,” I said. “She needs to know about Hoffman. Why didn’t I think about that?”

“It’s been a crazy day. Your mind is probably scrambled almost as much as mine. And you know what? If Kara is good with that gun in her glove box, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a bullet than Hoffman. I’ll tell her just to wound him, of course,” she said with a laugh.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” The thought of Kara or even Candace having to shoot anyone made those chili dogs in my stomach churn a little.

“Here’s what else Chief Baca told me,” Candace said. “He learned that Sarah VanKleet could be broke, since her credit cards are maxed out. But getting any bank info will take time. The question is, does she know something we don’t about the professor-like if he had money stashed or had life insurance?”

“Good questions. She’s probably living off Doug Lieber,” I said. “Do we know if she started an affair with him before she separated from VanKleet?”

“Why would that matter?” she said.

“The stress of an affair could have made the professor act even more bizarre. And maybe he withheld money from his wife because of infidelity during the marriage,” I said. “He decided she didn’t deserve anything from him.”

“You’re reaching,” Candace said. “We have no evidence of that. But then, I didn’t get into personal details when I interviewed Douglas Lieber. I was trying to establish alibis, understand his attitude toward VanKleet. From what he told me, he and the professor were friends, and stayed friends even though he and Sarah were involved.”

I said, “I understand you’re the evidence queen, but I like to imagine what might have been going on, so humor me. Maybe Sarah VanKleet, in debt and with two kids in college, decided she’d be better off getting back with her ex, and Douglas Lieber didn’t like that idea. The professor was doing experiments. He said whatever his plan was, it would be like winning the lottery. Was that kind of thinking the product of a confused mind or the truth-some scientific breakthrough concerning pet food?”

Candace laughed. “The pet food I get. He left evidence of that in the house. But you’re saying Lieber was jealous because Sarah was reconsidering her divorce? That he killed VanKleet over Sarah? Come on. Really?”

“Okay, that’s far- fetched,” I said. “Here’s another thought. What if VanKleet led Sarah to believe there was money coming, that he’d pay her everything she was owed and more, and she found out it wasn’t true?”

“And then she kills him. In the most painful way possible,” Candace said. “You might be on to something there. But I could see Brandt being that pissed off, too. The person who clobbered Rufus was strong. Brandt could definitely smash the man over the head and kill him. And even though I know you like him, we can’t eliminate Evan. We saw his temper firsthand.”

I did like Evan and didn’t want to believe he could harm anyone, much less his father, but I had to put my feelings aside. Why did that seem so difficult? Maybe because Brandt seemed to be the decision maker. I said, “Did you check Brandt’s finances? Law school is expensive.”

“He told me when I interviewed him that he’s on some kind of scholarship,” she said. “Some wonderful ship that’s taking him on that trip through law school for nothing.”

I laughed. “You know what? We’re both too tired to think anymore about this tonight. This could still be about militant activists. But Patrick Hoffman as that activist? My gut says no.”

“I think it’s more about people closer to VanKleet, but I am tired,” she said. “I need to rethink everything when my mind is firing on all cylinders.”

I pulled into the driveway a few minutes later and saw that Kara wasn’t home yet. Maybe she could take care of herself, but I still worried. I mean, Patrick Hoffman was on the loose. Having a name to go with those eyes didn’t relax my upset stomach. Or maybe the second chili dog was to blame.

I disengaged the alarm at the back door, and we went into the kitchen. Merlot and Syrah sat waiting by their empty food dish. Candace gave them each a little scratch on the head and said she was heading for a much-needed shower.