Mayes, Casey - A Deadly Row

“I’m pleased to meet you, Julia. Let me start by saying that I’m sorry for your loss.”

She looked at me a moment, and then the poor woman started to cry. We were getting the attention of some of the staff now, as well as a few of the hotel’s guests.

I didn’t care. I put my arms around her, and then let Julia cry herself out. In three minutes, she pulled away from me, wiping her cheeks and eyes with an old linen handkerchief.

“Feel better?” I asked her.

“Much. Thank you. You’re the first person I’ve spoken with since Hank was murdered who actually seems to care.”

“That’s because you haven’t met my husband yet. He’s the reason I know so much about your brother. Zach tries to get to know the subjects of his investigation.” I’d almost said “victims,” but I’d caught myself just in time. I didn’t want to be responsible for another crying jag.

“If he’s anything like you, I believe you. Please, tell him that I’m counting on his help.”

“Is there anything else you’d like me to pass on to him?”

“No, not that I can think of,” she said. “I spoke with an officer earlier, but he barely seemed to pay attention to my answers. What else does your husband need to know?”

“I was wondering if there was anyone in particular that your brother was close to before he died.”

“Was murdered, you mean.” Her words were as strong as black coffee.

“Murdered,” I corrected.

She nodded, and appeared to be pleased by my acquiescence. “The first person I’d look at would be the mayor, unless your husband is intimidated by him like everyone else in this town seems to be.”

“He’s aware of their confrontation,” I said. “Anyone else?”

“How about the new chief of police?” Julia asked as she looked around the lobby. I wasn’t sure if she was looking for police officers, or just random spies, but the action made me wonder if she was a little bit unhinged.

“What did Davis Rawles have to do with your brother?”

She looked at me carefully. “Do you know him? Of course you do. Your husband chose him as his replacement.”

“My husband had nothing to do with that,” I said, though that wasn’t strictly true. He’d made a recommendation, and it had to have carried some weight, but the ultimate decision hadn’t been his. “Trust me, my husband isn’t influenced by his friendships. If anything, he’s harder on people he knows than he is on perfect strangers. Why did you bring up Davis’s name?”

“He and my brother went in together on a little business venture, and when it failed, Davis threatened to kill him. Is that motive enough?”

“What happened?”

“Davis and Hank bought some land in the mountains together on the speculation that a resort would be built nearby. Hank had his hands in a lot of different businesses. He wasn’t just a land speculator, but no one really knew every one of his sources of income. When the parent company dropped out on the development deal, they both lost a sizeable amount of money. Evidently it was bigger for the police chief than it was for Hank.”

“I didn’t know that,” I said.

“Does your husband?”

“If he doesn’t yet, he will soon, and that’s a promise,” I said. “Any other names I should add to the list?”

“There were a few other officers who were minor investors, but I don’t know their names.”

“Tell you what. Find out, and then leave me a message at the front desk. I’ll tell my husband as soon as you tell me. Anyone else?”

She frowned, bit her lip, and then said, “I’ve gone over that night a thousand times in my mind, and the only other reason I can think that someone would want to kill my brother was that dance. Every woman he danced with should be interviewed, along with their significant others.”

“I know for a fact that my husband is going painstakingly through the files, and he’s reading the police interviews right now.”

Julia was about to say something else when I saw her face go cold. “What just happened?”

“She was one of them,” Julia whispered, and then quickly dashed away.

I turned to see who the mystery woman was, and was startled to see Lorna heading toward me.

“WHO WAS THAT, SAVANNAH? SHE LOOKED AS THOUGHshe’d just seen a ghost when I walked up.”

“To be honest with you, I just ran into her. I can’t think of her name right off the top of my head.” I was lying, but I didn’t really want Lorna to know what Julia Tristan had just told me. “I’m sorry, I know I’m late.”

“That’s fine,” she said, apparently dismissing Julia from her mind. “Are we still having breakfast?”

“You know it,” I said. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

While not technically true, I was hungry. In particular, I was going to order cinnamon sticks. I hadn’t been able to forget the sample I’d gotten of Zach’s, and now I wanted some for myself.

After we placed our orders, she asked, “How was Hickory?”

“It was good. I love catching up with my uncle.”

“Family’s important. Speaking of that, have you been seeing much of your husband lately? I imagine the investigation’s keeping him pretty busy.”

“We spend some time together every day,” I said. “Maybe not as much as I’d like to, but that’s the way it goes when he’s working.”

“Has he made any progress?”

“He has some ideas,” I said, not really wanting to get into it with her.

“Any suspects yet?”

“Lorna, I really don’t feel comfortable discussing it.” I looked around the dining room, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to us. “Why are you so interested, anyway?”

“I knew one of the victims, remember? It’s so creepy. One minute we were dancing together, and the next minute he was dead.”

“It wasn’t a matter of minutes,” I corrected her. “It was more like hours.”

“Still, it makes you think.”

“Yes, I suppose it does.”

Our food arrived, and as we started eating, Lorna said, “I’ve got something for you, but I forgot to bring it.”

“What is it?”

She smiled at me. “It’s a surprise, actually. Can I drop it off at the hotel tonight?”

“I’m not really sure what our plans are, but you can leave it at the front desk.”

“No, I’d rather deliver it to you in person. How about tomorrow at breakfast?”

“I’ll have to see. I might not know if I’m free until the last minute.”

She smiled. “Taking another trip to Hickory?”

“I’m not planning to, but you never know. If you don’t mind taking a chance that I won’t make it, we can pencil tomorrow in.”

“That’s all I can ask.” She laughed gently, and then added, “Trust me, my date book isn’t exactly full these days.”

“Aren’t you seeing anyone special?”

“That depends on your definition. They’re all special, aren’t they?” she said with a smile.

“I don’t know how you do it. I can’t keep up with the one man I’ve got, let alone deal with a string of them.”

“Practice, practice, practice,” she said.

After we were finished eating, I said, “I hate to eat and run, but my dance card’s pretty full today.”

“I’m just glad we had a chance to get together,” Lorna said as we started to walk out of the restaurant.

“Me, too.”

“Until tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” I said.

“That’s good enough for me.” Lorna could be demanding in her friendship; I knew that from past experience.

Back in the lobby, I looked around for Julia Tristan, just in case she’d lingered, but the woman was gone. I needed to talk to Zach about her, and it couldn’t wait until lunch.