Janet Evanovich - Full Bloom

"Well, now we know," Theenie said.

"Mrs. Schaefer's husband has retained an attorney," Lamar went on, "so I'll answer a couple of questions, and then I'll give him the microphone."

"Chief Tevis," one of the reporters called out. "Does this mean Mr. Fortenberry's widow has been cleared of murder charges?"

"Yes." Lamar pointed to a reporter nearby.

"Has anyone located the missing remains?" another reporter asked.

Lamar looked uncomfortable. "I'm sort of hesitant to talk about it until I am one hundred percent certain, but the van was very recently discovered abandoned less than one hundred miles from here in Baxter County. It has been searched, and it is my understanding that it is indeed the van, and the contents inside are intact. I'm waiting for verification from the Baxter County sheriff."

"Oh my gosh!" Annie said. "Lamar finally did something right."

"Chief Tevis," a female reporter called out. "Does anyone know at this time the actual cause of death to the victim?"

A camera swung in the woman's direction.

"She's the reporter from Charleston," Annie said.

Lamar hesitated. "Well …"

"Isn't it true Mr. Fortenberry's injuries were not life threatening?"

Lamar looked surprised. "We don't know that for sure."

"I understand the medical examiner was unable to state the cause of death," the woman continued.

"Boy, she's a real ball buster," Destiny said, drawing raised brows from Theenie.

Lamar was clearly flustered. "We don't have all the answers right now," he said. "That's why the remains were being sent to the Medical University in Charleston to begin with. I have nothing more to say." He stormed away from the microphone.

Lamar was replaced by a balding man with oversize glasses who wasted no time getting started and spoke quickly. "My name is Randolf Pierce, and I've been retained to represent Mrs. Schaefer in this case. I met with her only briefly before she made her statement to the police. I do not share Chief Tevis's optimism that this is a cut-and-dried case, so to speak; this investigation is ongoing."

The camera flashed to a frowning Lamar.

"Because we still have many questions, most of which will have to wait until my client's condition is stable, I will not be answering questions specific to the case." A disgruntled murmur rose from the crowd. "All I'm prepared to say is that Mrs. Schaefer is being treated by a fine group of doctors, and it will be up to them as to how long she remains in the hospital and when she can answer further questions." He paused and looked through the crowd. "I would like to say, on my client's behalf, that she willingly came forward and insisted on talking to the police, despite serious medical problems. Thank you for your time."

Several reporters voiced questions, but they went ignored as Pierce stepped away from the microphone.

The telephone rang and Lovelle rolled her eyes and picked it up. She immediately put her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Annie. "It's Wes. He says it's important."

Annie took the phone and gently placed the receiver in the cradle.

* * * * *

Wes was waiting for Lamar in the reception area the next morning when he came in at seven. "I need to talk to you," Wes said.

"Hey, did you see me on TV last night?" Lamar asked.

"Yep."

"How about that smart-aleck woman from Charleston? Boy, I ripped her a new one, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah."

Lamar checked his watch. "Now, where is Delores? She's supposed to bring in sausage biscuits. I'll spend the rest of the day fighting heartburn, but it's worth it. By the way, several of my friends taped the news conference last night in case you want to watch it again. You know, in case you have company or something. Let's grab a cup of brew and go into my office."

Wes waited until they had their coffee and were seated in Lamar's office before he pulled out his wallet, flipped it open, and handed it to the other man.

Lamar arched both brows. "A PI, huh? I should have known."

"Before that I was a cop. Worked homicide for a number of years."

"Someone from Beaumont hired you for a job?" When Wes hesitated, Lamar handed him his wallet, got up, and closed the door. "Everything you say stays in this room."

"Eve Fortenberry contacted me a few weeks ago," Wes said. "Asked me to look into her son's disappearance."

Lamar reclaimed his seat. "I'm not surprised. She's taking it pretty hard." He stared into his coffee cup for a long time. He looked sad. "The more I look at this case, the more questions I have."

"Such as?"

"Fortenberry was alive when Donna Schaefer left the scene; she saw him blinking his eyes. But like I said, he didn't die from injuries sustained in the fall."

"Fall?"

Lamar nodded. "When he didn't show up she drove over and confronted him. Even went into his bedroom to see if he'd packed, which he hadn't. Hell, I don't know if he changed his mind about leaving or if he met someone else. Sure can't ask him." He shrugged. "Anyway, she says the whole thing was an accident. Charles told her he didn't love her and never had. They got into some kind of tussle, 'cause she said she left a bad scratch on his face.

"So he told her to get the hell out, and when she wouldn't, he stomped out of the room toward the stairs. She caught up with him and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. He struggled to pull free and fell. She flipped out and ran."

"Does Mrs. Schaefer know she wasn't responsible for his death?"

"She's in the psych ward and in no condition to talk. She was a mess when she came in, but it was obvious she was trying to hold herself together long enough to get it all out. It must've been eating at her." He shook his head sadly.

"So what do you think killed him?" Wes asked after a moment.

"Don't know. At first I wondered if he could have had a heart attack, but he had a complete physical less than a month before his death, and he was in excellent health. We also don't know who buried the body. Mrs. Schaefer swears she didn't do it."

"Are you thinking there was more than one person involved?"

"Had to be. Fortenberry was six foot two and weighed one-eighty at his last physical. And get this. Mrs. Schaefer has back problems from a car accident some years ago. Has to see one of them chiropractors every so often," he added. "Bottom line is, nobody is going to convince me that some one-hundred-and-ten-pound weakling with back problems dragged that body from the house, across the backyard, and buried it."

"You're wrong," Wes said. "The bottom line is we still have a murderer out there."

* * * * *

Annie was hard at work in the kitchen when someone knocked on the back door. She washed her hands and dried them, then hurried to answer. She was surprised to find Wes standing there. Okay, maybe surprised didn't aptly describe her, because her stomach gave an immediate lurch and her heartbeat quickened. Not a good sign. Definitely not good. Best to get rid of Wes fast, before some other body part went haywire on her. She started to close the door, but he pressed one hand against it, holding it fast.

"We need to talk."

She wished he didn't have to look so good. "When pigs fly, Bridges." She tried once more to close the door, but he continued to block it.

"I'm prepared to stand here as long as it takes."

The determined look on his face told her he meant it. "This is a bad time, okay?" she said. "The wedding of the century is being held here tomorrow, and I've got a ton of work to do." She gave him a tight smile. "Now, why don't you run along? Surely you can find somebody to spy on."

"I'm not going to apologize for renting the room under false pretenses," he said. "I'm a professional, and I was hired to do a job, namely find out what happened to your husband."