Casey Mayes - A Killer Column

“So then, it could have been Mindi, Brady, Sylvia, Cary, or Lassiter that took it,” I said, carefully leaving my own name off the suspect list.

“I suppose you’re right, but why would any of them want it?”

“Could there be something incriminating somewhere in the pages and notes?” I asked.

“I don’t think so, but then again, anything is possible.”

“Maybe it will turn up,” I said as reassuringly as I could.

“I hope so. I’d be lost without it.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I said, and promised myself that I’d find a way to get Derrick’s planner back to her once I was finished with it. If she needed it, it was wrong of me to keep her from it, but for now, I didn’t have any choice.

I finally got outside into the corridor, and Kelsey actually smiled at me as I left, something that made me feel that much dirtier about taking the planner, and then diverting suspicion away from myself at the expense of the other people on my list.

As I started down the hallway, a voice called out behind me. “Savannah? Did you get the results you were hoping for?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. I’m glad I ran into you again, I had a few questions to ask you,” I said as I turned and faced her.

Sylvia looked at me skeptically. “Why exactly do you want to talk to me?”

“Do you honestly want to have this conversation in the hallway?”

“It suits me,” she said.

That was odd. I wondered what she might be hiding in her room. Or perhaps whom? Could Brady be in there, cowering behind the drapes? No, I had a hard enough time believing that Brady was fooling around with Cary Duncan. The idea that he was also having an affair with Sylvia Peters was just too much to believe.

“To be honest with you, I’m asking everyone where they were when Derrick was murdered,” I said. I hadn’t yet, but it made sense to do it now. The killer knew Zach and I were investigating, so the time for being coy about it was over. My husband believed that whenever you are attacked, you step up the assault, and I couldn’t think of any other way to handle it.

She looked bemused by my question. “I told you before that I was in my room when he was murdered, and I was alone. Are you honestly asking me for an alibi?”

“Yes, I am,” I said, holding my ground. “And you’ve got to do better than that.”

“It happens to be the truth.”

I shrugged. “Suit yourself. I just thought you might like to get your name off of everyone’s suspect list.”

“You really should leave detective work for the detectives.”

“My husband was the chief of police for a major metropolitan city,” I snapped.

“The key word there being ‘was,’” she said.

“That doesn’t make his accomplishments any less impressive.”

“No, I’m willing to grant you that point, but it does bring into question his standing in this investigation.”

“Sylvia, it’s obvious, isn’t it? He’s working to clear my name.”

“By throwing me to the wolves instead? I understand his motives, but you’ll forgive me if I choose not to supply any rope for my own hanging.” She pivoted and went back into her room, and as much as I tried to see if anyone else was there, my line of vision was limited to the square of carpet in front of the door, which at the time was sadly bare.

Well, that had accomplished a whole lot of nothing. Maybe I should let Zach ask the hard questions. After all, he’d trained for many years to do it. I had a knack for seeing patterns—it was part of the reason I was so good at making puzzles. But what were the patterns here? So far, all I saw was a jumbled mess, chaos instead of order.

I needed a key to figure things out further.

And at that moment, I remembered something that Jenny and I had found in Derrick’s room. The ring of keys was still in the bottom of my bag. I wondered what Zach would make of them, and the planner I’d so rashly taken from Kelsey’s room.

I wasn’t sure if he’d be pleased with me, or disappointed, but one thing was certain. I was bringing new facts to light, and with a case as murky as this one, any illumination had to help.

IHAD A LOT OF NEW RAW DATA, BUT SO FAR, NO REAL INFORMATION. It was time to go somewhere and see exactly what it was I had, so I went downstairs, even going as far as heading to the parking garage when I remembered that Zach still had our rental car.

I dialed Jenny’s number, hoping she was in her office.

She picked up on the fourth ring, just as I was getting ready to hang up and try to come up with another plan.

“Hey there,” I said. “Any chance you’re around?”

“I’m just finishing something up in my office. I was going to head back home, but I’m flexible. Is there something you’d like to do?”

“Truthfully, I was hoping to get a ride with you back to your place.”

“What’s wrong with the rental car?”

I didn’t really want to get into it at the moment, but it was a question that deserved an answer. “Someone slashed all four of the tires,” I admitted.

“That’s terrible,” Jenny said. She lowered her voice as she asked, “Was it tied to the case?”

“I certainly hope so,” I said.

“That’s kind of an odd answer, isn’t it?”

“Think of it this way. At least we’re making some progress if we’ve scared the killer into taking such a bold step. There was a note written on the back of a Chinese takeout menu.”

“I can’t wait to hear what it said.”

“Why don’t I tell you when you pick me up? I’m at the Crest Hotel.”

She paused, and then said, “Tell me now.”

“‘Stop digging or die,’” I quoted.

“Hey, I was just asking. There’s no need to get melodramatic about everything.”

“No, that’s what the note said. ‘Stop digging or die.’”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and Jenny finally broke it by asking, “Is there any possibility you’re going to listen to that advice?”

“Come on, you know me better than that. And even if I wanted to, do you think there’s a chance on earth that Zach’s going to be bullied off anything?”

“No, I wouldn’t think so.”

“So, we press on. Now, about that ride.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” she said. “And Savannah, try not to get into any trouble between now and then.”

“Hey, I’m not making any promises.”

As I waited for Jenny, it took every ounce of willpower I had not to take out Derrick’s planner and start digging into it, but I had no idea who might be watching me, and I couldn’t afford to let anyone know that I’d taken it. I’d tell Zach of course, that went without saying, and Jenny had a stake in knowing as well, but that was it.

Good to her word, Jenny showed up four minutes later. As she pulled into the garage, I was waiting at the door. Once I was safely in the front seat and buckled up, I said, “You wouldn’t believe what I did.”

“Should I hear about it?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I can tell you, but then I can’t take it back, can I?”

“On second thought, maybe we’d better not talk about what you’ve been up to.”

“Okay, I can buy that,” I said. “How was your day?”

She laughed. “I got some work done, but only after I convinced two of my partners that my vacation has been put on hold.” She smiled at me as she added, “They were under the impression that I still worked for them, not with them.”

“I’m sure you did your best to set them straight.”

“Oh, I believe they got the message.”

When we pulled up to her driveway, I noticed that there wasn’t any activity next door at Charlie’s place. Where was Jenny’s own Neighborhood Watch Program? Maybe making another cake, like he’d told Zach he’d been doing. As we approached the front steps, Jenny pointed to the sidewalk.