Death Vetoes The Chairman (Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries Book 7) (8 page)

“Yes, I can, and I am. It’s easy for you to say ‘don’t quit’. You’re not the one who has to deal with telling the story over and over. No wonder so many women don’t report the harassment and the assaults. Who wants to keep living it over and over? I certainly don’t.”

“If you give up, then he wins,” T.J. said. “What about the next woman he goes after?”

“Don’t lay that on me, Thomas Jefferson Roosevelt. Don’t you
dare
lay that guilt trip on me. I’m responsible for one person, and that’s myself. And even that is too much to handle right now. If he wants to win so bad, let him. If you want to fight him, go right ahead. Leave me out of it. I’m done.” I turned and walked back into the building. The flowers were on the desk when I went into the office. I stared at them for a minute, awkwardly picked them up and threw them at the wall. The sound of shattering glass echoed off the walls. I shoved a bunch of papers into my bag and left.

Chapter 11

Despite what I said, Jake and Steve began digging deeper into Ethan’s past. Jake believed that there was an obvious pattern of established behavior, starting with Jessica back in high school. If they found anything, they were wisely not sharing it with me.

Things were a little strained between T.J. and I for a couple of days. After shattering the vase of flowers against the wall, I had gone home and stayed there. All of my work was being done from home. He had come over that first night, but I had refused to answer the door, not even for pecan pie from Maddie. He had wisely put the pie, along with dinner, in a bag on the porch and left.

I really wanted to call Trixie, but she was out of town on business, and I didn’t want to bother her. As for my mother, Amelia, I wasn’t sure where she was. After their honeymoon cruise, her new husband had whisked her away to England. I was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to come back.

Working from home made me realize that I didn’t have a decent office. I wandered around in the backyard, checking out the space I thought I might need to add a new room to my late grandmother’s house. Debra left me the money; I might as well put it to good use. Since Trixie was remodeling the Gentlemen’s Club, she would be able to recommend a reliable contractor when she came back.

Another thing I realized: there was no way I was going to be able to work in my office at the newspaper again. I’m not sure how I had managed to go back after that day, but standing there, listening to Jake tell Dale what happened made everything come back in full force. I saw it all: when he grabbed my wrist as he sat in the chair; trying to break free; being slammed and pinned to the wall…it played out in vibrant colors. I couldn’t go back there without having some kind of visceral reaction.

Unfortunately, hiding in my house didn’t stop the delivery of the gifts from Ethan. Every day brought new things: flowers, jewelry, a laptop, the latest phone to hit the market, expensive chocolate (if you think I got rid of that, you’re crazy), even gifts for Babe and Mittens. It bothered me that he knew that much about my private life. I sent the flowers to the hospital; everything else was returned to sender, no reason given. Something told me he wasn’t used to that kind of treatment.

After three days in the house, I decided to venture out. I gave the dogs each a treat, made sure the doors and windows were locked, and turned on the alarm. It was about 11:30 a.m., just at the start of the lunch rush at the café, and unfortunately, Gladys was there. She glared at me as I walked in, and I gave her my biggest smile, which seemed to confuse her. Ha, good.

“And where have you been, young lady?” Maddie said, putting a glass of sweet tea down in front of me. “Sales for my pecan pie have gone down greatly this week because of you.”

“I’m sorry, Maddie. I’ve been busy working.”

“Hmphf, that’s not what I hear.”

“Afraid it’s true. Lots of things going on right now, especially with the holidays coming up.”

She bent over and quietly said, “Jake says you’re hiding at home because of someone harassing you.”

“Jake needs to learn to keep his big fat mouth shut and his opinions to himself,” I replied.

Maddie stood up and shook her head. “You are so full of it, Lizzie,” she said before walked away. She didn’t even take my order, which meant I was at her mercy.

Speak of the devil…Jake walked in as Maddie got close to the counter. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she whispered in his ear. He looked up, and locked eyes with me. I sighed. Why did I leave the house again?

He strolled over to the booth and sat down. “You remind me of someone. What was her name again? Name escapes me, but she just became the majority owner of the town newspaper, and she hasn’t been seen in her office in three days. Do you know her?”

“How would you like to get fired?”

“You can’t fire the minority owner.”

“Fine, then I’ll buy your shares.”

“Not happening. What are you doing here?”

“Really?”

“Ok, stupid question.”

“You think?”

Jake rubbed his hand over his face. “Let’s start over.” He held out his hand. “Lizzie! It’s so good to see you! How are you doing?”

“Fine, thank you for asking, and yourself?”

“Oh, you know, keeping busy. Several advertisers have made arrangements for their holiday layouts. Then there are the questions from the staff about why the majority shareholder isn’t at the office, why she’s sending in all her work by fax or courier. Luckily, our editor emeritus is spending time at the office this week, but that isn’t going to last forever.”

“I am aware of that.”

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t pull that ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’ tone with me, Elizabeth Crenshaw. Spill it.”

“Is there a problem with me working from home?”

“No.”

“Am I turning my work in on time?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything wrong with the work I have turned in?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Bugger off, Jake.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?” I said, shocked by his answer.

He placed a hand over mine. “I know you’ve been through a lot the last couple of weeks, and I’m responsible for it.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am,” he replied. “I talked you into going to that fundraiser event. If you hadn’t gone with me, you’d have never met him, and you wouldn’t have experienced any of this.”

“I was doing a favor for a friend. Nothing wrong with that.”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be avoiding the office, and returning all the gifts he’s sent you.”

I pulled my hand away. “How do you know about that?”

“A man like Ethan considers what you’re doing the worst kind of insult. He called me, wanting to know why you were sending everything back.”

“What did you say? In fact, why did you even answer the phone?”

“I told him I was sure it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact you thought he was a jerk. Besides, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tell him what I thought.”

I laughed. “You didn’t tell him that.”

“I don’t think I used the word jerk…”

“Probably not.”

“When are you coming back to the office?”

Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“Jake, if you can’t figure it out, I can’t explain it,” I told him as Maddie brought my food out. “Would you put that in a to-go box, please?” I pulled out a twenty and handed it to her. “And throw in some pecan pie, too?”

Maddie looked at me, at Jake, and then shook her head. “Whatever,” she said as she walked away.

I grabbed my jacket as I slid out of the booth and put it on before grabbing my bag. “I’ll send you the edited stories about the holiday activities in the morning. I’m waiting to hear from the mayor’s office to verify a couple of things.”

Jake started to grab my arm, but stopped himself. T.J. came in at that moment. There was no way I was going to let the two of them gang up on me. I hurried to the counter. Maddie came out with a bag and handed it to me. I took it and brushed past T.J. without saying a word.

T.J. walked back to the booth and sat down. Jake shook his head. “I don’t get her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She hasn’t been back to the office since the day the TRO was cancelled. When I went back into the office after she left, there was shattered glass, flowers and water everywhere.”

“You saw what she did to the first set of flowers, and a shattered vase surprises you?”

“I guess it shouldn’t have. But I don’t understand why she won’t come back to the office.”

“You’re joking,” T.J. said incredulously. Jake just gave him a blank look. “You’re an idiot.”

“What?!”

“Let me explain things to you…”

I spent the afternoon playing phone tag with the mayor’s office. I finally got his secretary to confirm the information I needed, finished off the article, and faxed it to Ellen. I was curled up on the couch with Mittens, while Babe was sprawled in the middle of the living room floor. There was a Dallas hockey game on, but I was starting to fall asleep. Of course, my phone buzzed at that moment. It was from Jake:
Dale dropped off paperwork you need to sign tonight
.

Ok. I’m home, so come by & I’ll sign it
.

Can’t. Leaving in the morning. Taking care last minute details
.

I’m in for the night. Just come over & I’ll sign them
.

Can’t take the file I need with me.
Just get over here.

Mumbling a few choice words, I got dressed, gave Babe a treat, picked up Mittens’ leash and brought her with me. Jake was still living at Dale’s house, and from what I understood, planned to buy it from Dale.

It was nearly 9 p.m. as we drove through town, and it was pretty quiet for a Thursday night. Usually the kids are cruising around the town square until at least ten or eleven, but there were only three or four cars driving around.

We pulled up to the house and parked. Mittens’ tail was spinning like a helicopter blade; she realized this was a new place to explore. I hooked the leash on her collar, and she walked across the seats to get out on my side. Sniffing the ground, she pulled me around the yard, and then up to the front porch. Jake had set up a scarecrow for fall. It was wearing an old pair of overalls, a blue and red plaid shirt, black gloves and boots. Straw was sticking out of the sleeves of the shirt and the legs of the pants. The head was a scary looking pumpkin, topped with a straw hat.

Mittens started sniffing the scarecrow, growling. She grabbed the sleeve of the right arm, shaking her head back and forth. “Stop that,” I scolded her as I picked her up. She reluctantly let go, but kept squirming in my arms. “I’ll put you back down, but you leave that scarecrow alone.”

She looked up at me as if to say, “You’re a silly woman.”

I put her down when I got to the door. I rang the doorbell and waited. Mittens started sniffing around again. Her leash was retractable, and she was taking advantage of its full length. She worked her way back down the steps, this time checking out the legs of the scarecrow. As Jake opened the front door, she lunged at the pant leg, taking a piece of it in her mouth and pulling on it. “Lizzie? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

“What am I doing here? You’re kidding, right? You texted me to come over and sign the paperwork you got from Dale.”

“What paperwork? I don’t have anything here for you to sign.”

“Then why am I here? Geez, Jake, if you wanted to get together, you could have just come over to the house. I could still be watching the hockey game.” I heard Mittens growling behind me. “Nice scarecrow you’ve got out here,” I said as I went down to get Mittens. But this time, she let go on her own, moving away from me and grabbing the left pant leg.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your scarecrow leaning against the rail here.”

“I didn’t put that there,” he replied, coming outside.

I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as Mittens continued to yank on the pant leg. For a little dog, she was pretty strong, and she managed to move the leg enough that the scarecrow started to slide off the steps. There was a sickening thud as the head hit one of the steps. The pumpkin flew off, and I found myself staring into Ethan Winthrop’s dead eyes.

I turned around and threw up.

Chapter 12

“So how did he end up on the front porch?” Owen asked us for the fifth time in an hour.

“How many times do you want us to repeat this for you?” I said, totally exasperated with the whole thing. “The story isn’t going to change. Move on already!”

“Humor me, Crenshaw,” Owen growled. “Jake, was the scarecrow here when you came home?”

“I have no idea,” Jake replied. “I came in through the back door, where the carport is.”

“And then what?”

“I went into the office to make a couple of calls, and then I fixed a sandwich.”

“And when did you find the paperwork you called her about?”

“There was no paperwork!” Jake snapped, clearly fed up with all these questions as I was. “I never sent her a text message.”

Owen turned to me. “Are you sure the message came from Jake?”

Finally, a new question. “That’s the name that popped up on my phone.”

“Let me see it,” Jake said, holding out his hand. I gave him my phone and he tapped a few keys. “She’s right. It looks like it came from me.”

“And where’s your phone?” Owen said. Jake mumbled something. “I didn’t hear you. Where’s your phone?”

“I don’t know.”

“When was the last time you remember having it?”

“At the café this afternoon.”

“Did anyone see you with the phone?”

“Lizzie and T.J. saw it on our table.” I nodded in agreement. “After Lizzie left, I spent some time talking to T.J., made a couple of calls, then ate some pie. I guess I got distracted and forgot to grab it when I left.” He thought for a moment. “Wait, I did have it when I went to the newspaper, because I received a call from someone. And I had it when I went to see Trixie at the club.”

“I didn’t know she was back in town,” I said. “What did you go out there for?”

“She wanted some advice about a contractor she was having problems with. We sat at the bar and talked for a little while, then I left and came home.”

I heard the sound of a ringtone come from behind us. One of the gloved technicians patted the pockets on the dead scarecrow, and pulled out a phone from the front pocket. “Victim’s cell phone, Sheriff,” she said. “Do you want me to answer it?”

“No, let it go to voicemail. Bag it and give it to me.”

The technician pulled out a small evidence baggie, dropped the phone inside, sealed it shut, wrote something on the front and gave it to him. “Either of you recognize this?”

Jake’s face turned white. “Um…yeah. That’s my phone.”

He started to reach for it, but Owen shook his head. “It’s evidence now. Sorry, Jake.”

“But…I’ve got a lot of important numbers on that phone.”

“I suggest you buy a new phone. You can afford it.”

I was tired. “Are we done here? I need to get her home, and hope I can watch the game on replay.”

“You didn’t miss anything,” Owen said, scribbling something on his notepad. “They lost.”

“Well, I’m so glad
someone
got to see the end of the game,” I said sarcastically.

“You drove straight over here, no stops?”

“Straight here,” I confirmed.

Owen looked down at Mittens, who was sitting at my feet. She looked a bit upset that her new “chew toy”, aka the dead man, was being handled by other people. “I wonder why she started tugging on the overalls.”

“Maybe she knew something was wrong with it,” Jake suggested.

“I think the more important question here is how the heck did it get on the porch?” I pointed out.

Owen glanced at Jake, who held his hands up. “Don’t look at me. I had nothing to do with it.”

“Considering what has gone on the last few weeks, you are both prime suspects.”

“Excuse me?” I said.

“Are you nuts?”

Owen motioned for us to follow him. We moved over to his patrol car, away from the crime techs and other officers. “Look,” he said in a quiet voice, “I don’t have a choice here. You’ve both had run-ins with the victim over the past couple of weeks. Lizzie attacked him at that fancy fundraiser…”

“He attacked me! I was just defending myself!”

“No witnesses, no video, so it’s your word against his, Lizzie,” Owen said. “Jake punched him at the same fundraiser, and there are plenty of witnesses for that. Then there is the incident in your office, which left you with injuries, plus there is a witness to part of it.”

“Is T.J. a suspect as well?”

“I know where he was today,” Owen replied. “And his attack on Ethan was in defense of Lizzie. That lets him off the hook.” Jake mumbled something under his breath. I didn’t need to hear it to know what he said; I read his lips, and it wasn’t nice. “What was that, Mathias?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought. Right now, neither one of you has verifiable alibis. For all I know, you planned this together, and concocted this story to cover it up.”

I put my hand on Jake’s arm to keep him from saying anything. “I know you are just spitballing here, and that you truly don’t believe either of us killed him.
We
understand that you are just doing your job, and that you can’t show favoritism to us because we’re all friends.”

“That’s good to hear, Lizzie,” Owen said, but the look on his face said otherwise. Jake was staring at me like I had just grown two heads.

“Is there anything else you need from me? I should get Mittens home.”

“Not at the moment. Jake, you’re going to have to find some other place to stay for a couple of days.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope, I’m not,” Owen shook his head. “We have to go over the entire house, inside and out. You can’t be here while they do that.”

“And where do you suggest I go?”

They both looked at me. “What?”

“Lizzie…” Owen started to say.

I realized what they were thinking. “Heck to the no. Not happening. Besides, we’re both prime suspects, remember? We shouldn’t be anywhere near each other right now.”

“As I, in my official capacity, have not declared to the public that you two are the number one suspects in the murder of Ethan Winthrop, you are free to do as you please. However, unofficially, I’m telling you both not to leave town. And if he’s staying with you, then it makes it easier for me to find you both when I need to ask you more questions.”

“I can’t do this to T.J., Owen,” I protested. “We’re just starting to work things out. He’s going to go through the roof when he finds out.”

“Nonsense,” Owen said, brushing my concerns aside, “he’s a professional. He’ll understand. Come on, Jake. I’ll go inside with you so you can pack a bag. You’ll have to leave your vehicles here.”

“What about Lizzie’s car?”

We all looked over at the Mini Cooper. “Do you really think anyone is going to believe that you two shoved a body in that?” Owen said, trying not to laugh.

“Good point. Don’t go anywhere, roomie. I’ll be right back. Maybe we can stay up all night and play strip poker!” Jake said as he hurried away.

“And maybe you can just sleep outside under Babe’s tree,” I said as they walked away. Looking down, I noticed Mittens staring at me. “What?”

She gave me this sad look, as if to say, “T.J. is not going to like this.”

“Tell me about it, girl, tell me about it.”

Thankfully, Owen told me he was just yanking my chain about having Jake stay with me. He told Jake that he would have to check into a hotel. While they had been in the house, he had decided that we needed to go to the station for further questioning. He ordered an officer to ride with me in the Cooper to my house to drop off Mittens. Pointing at his personal patrol car, he ordered Jake to get in. “Lizzie, could you call Steve for me, please?” Jake said before he got into the back of Owen’s car. “Have him meet me down there.”

“Sure, no problem,” I said.

“Good grief, what a mess the two of you are in,” Steve said when I got called him from home ten minutes later. “How is Jake holding up?”

“Very annoyed.”

“I have a feeling he’s more than annoyed. I’m afraid I can’t represent you, Lizzie. But I will call a collegue of mine and have her meet us there. She’s great; very tenacious. DA’s hate her, but the judges love her. Her name is Amanda Cox.”

I thanked him and hung up. Opening the back door, I whistled for the dogs. Mittens came charging in and jumped in Aaron Bruns’ arms. The young officer laughed and put her back down. Babe came sauntering in, looked at Aaron, huffed, and flopped down on the floor by his feet. “Don’t take it personally,” I told him. “She’s that way with everybody.”

“I used to volunteer at the shelter when Kathy Lowdermilk was alive,” he said quietly. “She was a real nice lady. Mittens and I are old friends, and I know how much she misses Kathy. It was good of you to adopt her.”

“She’s a good companion for Babe,” I replied as I grabbed my bag and keys. “You two behave. I’ll be back in a little while.” Babe yawned while Mittens jumped on the couch, where she put her head on a pillow and sighed. At least somebody was going to be comfortable tonight. Oh geez, I was jealous of my dogs. I shook my head and left.

“You realize that Owen sent me with you so no one can claim he gave you preferential treatment,” Aaron said as we got back in the car. “Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t allow a witness or potential suspect to leave the scene.”

“I know,” I replied, “but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

I wish I could say that the rest of the night was a barrel of laughs. But it wasn’t. Despite the best efforts of Steve and Amanda, we spent the entire night at the station. Fingerprints, DNA samples, and the same questions over and over. By the time we finally got out of there, it was 7 a.m. “I know Owen is just doing his job,” Jake groused, “but even this seemed over the top.”

“It’s better for the two of you that he did it that way,” Amanda said. “I don’t think he’ll be bothering you anymore after all that.” She stretched and checked the time. “Well, I’ve got a deposition at ten, so I better get going.” She took a business card out of a side pocket of her bag and handed it to me. “Call me if you need anything else.”

“I will. And thanks for coming down on such short notice.”

“That’s why they call it time and a half, sweetie,” she said as she walked toward her luxury sportscar.

“That’s my cue to leave as well,” Steve said. “You two sure are keeping me busy. Maybe I need to open a branch office down here. I never knew there was so much crime in a small town.”

“Neither did I,” Jake replied, shaking Steve’s hand. “You’re still coming for the poker game next weekend, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

As Steve drove off, Jake and I got into the Cooper. “I’m starving,” I remarked. “Should we stop by the café and get some breakfast?”

“And risk being seen by the Gossip Queen?”

“Screw her,” I said. “It’s been a long night, and I want food. If she gives me any grief, she’s going to be wearing more than sweet tea.”

I drove the few blocks over to the town square. All of the parking places in front of the café were taken, so I made a loop around the block and parked in front of the bakery. As we got out of the car, a county patrol car cruised by us. We crossed the street and started to walk through the park. The patrol car came back and stopped in the middle of the street, and T.J. got out. “What are you two doing up so early in the morning?” he said as he walked over to us.

Before I could answer, Jake said, “Well, we had a late night session at Lizzie’s place, and it left me famished. So we thought we would get something to eat.”

T.J.’s eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed. “Really? Lots of work to do for the paper, I take it?”

“Oh no, we were exchanging DNA samples all night.”

I saw T.J. clinch his fist, and then POW! Jake hit the ground, and blood started to trickle down the side of his mouth. “T.J., what are you doing?” I gasped as Jake touched his face and saw the blood on his fingertips. “It’s not what you…”

“Shut up, Lizzie,” Jake said, getting to his feet. “So this is how you want it, Roosevelt?”

“Bring it, Mathias.”

Jake raised his arms and took a fighter’s stance as he and Jake began to circle each other. I looked around, hoping no one would notice what was going on. Wishful thinking. Roscoe Danforth and Roger Tinsdall had been walking toward the café, but stopped when Jake hit the ground. One of them rushed into the café and pointed toward the park as he told them what was going on. People were coming out of the bakery, too. I saw Gladys hurrying over from the cafe. I groaned. I was never going to hear the end of this one.

Jake threw two quick jabs at T.J.’s face, but he dodged out of the way, and countered with a right cross that connected with Jake’s nose. I swear I heard a crunching sound as he made contact. Jake staggered back for a second, then rushed at T.J., tackling him to the ground. He threw a couple of punches, hitting T.J. in the face before T.J. threw him off to the left. They both scrambled to their feet, hands up in front of their faces. A quick jab with the right had T.J. dodging to the left, and Jake caught him with a left hook right in the jaw. While T.J. was stunned briefly, Jake got in a couple of body shots, causing T.J. to double over as he stumbled backwards.