Casey Mayes - A Killer Column

If it was any consolation, the bedroom was even worse than the living room had been.

The only thing I could figure was that Derrick must have been living there more than a few days. Did that mean there was trouble in Paradise? I opened the closet door and saw that he hadn’t been staying there alone. A woman’s clothes were hung neatly inside, and from the look at one of the labels, it was a thin woman at that, a size 2, if the dress I pulled out was any indication.

Did the clothing belong to his wife, or Mindi Mills? If it all belonged to his mistress, then where was his wife? Had the police even spoken with her yet? I wished I could pick up my phone and call Zach, but he was off somewhere thinking and brooding, and I knew he hated to be disturbed whenever he did that. I knew he would take my feelings into account when he pondered his decision, but it was my life, too. I’d just grown accustomed to the idea that he was out of the line of fire these days, though his consulting job put him in harm’s way enough as it was. Working as Asheville’s sheriff would be dangerous, though not as hazardous as running the Charlotte force had been.

As I searched, I kept thinking about my husband, and the wonderfully strange journey our marriage had become.

A thought suddenly occurred to me as I looked around the cluttered room. Where was Derrick’s planner? He didn’t believe in modern technology, clinging to old ways long past their obsolescence, and while other folks had upgraded to PalmPilots and BlackBerries long ago, Derrick had faithfully bought planners every new January to run his life by. Where could this year’s edition be?

Maybe Jenny had better luck than I did. I walked back into the living room and found her sitting on the couch.

“Have you had any luck finding a yearly planner?”

“Like the kind we used in school?”

“Yes, but a little nicer,” I said.

“No, I haven’t seen anything like that. I did find these,” she said as she held out her hand. In her palm was a set of keys.

“They must have been Derrick’s,” I said as I took them from her. “No car keys here, though.” I held one up. “This is probably a house or apartment key, and this looks like it goes to a mailbox. What’s this one for?”

Jenny shrugged. “I’d say it might belong to some kind of safe. Did he have one?”

“I’d be shocked if he didn’t,” I said. “How did the police miss these?”

“They were hidden in one of his shoes,” she said. “There was a sock tucked in hiding it, and I was trying to be thorough, so I pulled it out. Do you think they are important?”

“They could be. What I’d really like to get my hands on is his planner. There must be some kind of clue hiding in there. He put his entire life in that thing.”

“Even his affair?” Jenny asked. “If it’s true, could he have been that stupid? His wife would surely have found out.”

“Found out what?” a voice behind us said.

I wasn’t expecting anyone to interrupt us, and I had purposely locked the door behind us, but someone had still managed to get in. She was a heavyset brunette that had help from Miss Clairol, and when she was younger, she’d probably been labeled cuddly and cute. Now she was simply overweight trying to fit into expensive-looking clothes that barely managed to contain her.

“I’m sorry, can I help you?” I asked in my most professional voice.

“I was about to ask the same.”

“And you are?”

She looked at me with one raised eyebrow. “I’m Cary Duncan, and I’m calling Hotel Security and having you thrown out of my husband’s room this instant.”

Chapter 9

“ THERE’S NO NEED FOR THAT,” I SAID AS I CROSSED THE room and extended my hand. “My name is Savannah Stone. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

She hesitated a moment before dialing and looked at me curiously. “You’re the puzzle woman?”

“Yes, I suppose you could call me that. I created puzzles for your husband,” I said. “He will truly be missed.” Maybe not by me, but surely by someone. I hated stretching the elastic of the truth to the breaking point, but I didn’t want to get Benjamin in trouble any more than I wanted to give Cary Duncan a chance to add to her possible suspicion of me.

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here,” she said.

I was at a loss for an explanation when Jenny spoke up. “We were looking for you.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Cary said.

I did myself, if the truth were told. Had she heard that I’d found her husband’s body, and that I was one of the police’s prime suspects? No, she couldn’t have. If she had, I had a feeling she wouldn’t be as cordial as she was being at the moment. Still, I didn’t know what to say in defense of our presence there.

Jenny offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s true. We wanted to offer our services to you in this difficult time.”

“And you are?”

Jenny offered a hand and introduced herself, adding, “I’m one of Savannah’s dearest and oldest friends.” She didn’t mention that she was a lawyer as well, and I certainly wasn’t about to bring it up.

“Go on,” Cary said.

“Savannah, having the big heart that she does, thought this might be too painful for you to deal with, so we came by to offer to take care of this suite for you and return your husband’s clothes and such without putting you through the arduous process of packing them away.”

“It has been a shock to my system,” Cary said. She pretended to dab an imaginary tear, and then said, “Savannah, I never thought you two were that close.”

“We worked together a long time,” I said. “He got me my first deal.” And tried to screw me in the process, I considered adding, but knew better.

“That’s true,” she said as she surveyed the living room. “My husband was too important to bother with simple things like housekeeping. It was a sign of his genius, you know.”

Then he must have been another Einstein, I thought as I glanced around.

She sniffed a few times, and then said, “I’m sorry, I can’t deal with this. I’d appreciate your help.”

“We’re glad to do it,” I said. “Where should we bring the bags when we’re finished? Are you staying at the Crest Hotel?”

“No, I’m at the Brunswick,” she said. “I couldn’t bear to stay here, not after what happened.”

“Did you just get into town?” I asked.

She nodded. “An hour ago. The police are going to tell me exactly what happened. So far, all I know is that he was found murdered in one of the conference rooms downstairs. Someone used a knife on him.” She shuddered at the thought. At least that confirmed that she hadn’t heard my name mentioned in connection with his murder, but I doubted it would take Detective Murphy long to bring it up. We had a limited window of opportunity, and Jenny and I had to take full advantage of it. “Why don’t you go back to your hotel, and we’ll be there soon. You really should rest.”

She looked around once more, and then nodded. “That sounds good. Thank you.”

When she was gone, I dead-bolted the door behind her and smiled at Jenny. “Wow, that was close. Way to think fast.”

“It gives us the perfect excuse to finish our snooping, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “I thought she might have heard that I was the one who found Derrick’s body.”

Jenny shook her head. “I was pretty sure we were in the clear when she didn’t attack you the second she found out who you were.”

“Yes, that was a pretty big clue. I’ve got another one for you.”