Middle River Murders (19 page)

I walked into the kitchen, opened a cabinet, took out a roll
of paper towels and then went to work helping Mom.

We stuffed the bloody paper towels in a plastic bag and once
the job was finished, I handed the bag to Billy.

“Will you burn this in the pit out back? I don’t want the
smell of blood in my trash can. It’s too gross to even think about.”

Billy took the bag and went out back. A few minutes later he
returned and confirmed that the job had been done.

“What do we do now?” Mom asked. “I know Jesse won’t let it
rest until she’s had a chance to interrogate Daisy.”

“How about some breakfast?” Billy asked. “I’ll cook.”

Mom and I walked over to the table and sat down. We both let
out a little chuckle when I said, “We’ll wait right here.”

Billy mumbled something when his back was turned to us, then
turned around to face us.

“You two are so much alike.”

Mom and I looked at each other and smiled.

“I guess we are,” she said. “I bet you didn’t expect to get
me in this marriage deal, did you?”

Billy smiled and said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Not too long after breakfast, Billy and I worked on a few
chores around the house that had been long overdue, and when finished, we
joined Mom in the family room to plan our next move. He bounced Maisy on his
lap and I rocked Ethan as we listened to Mom’s take on the situation.

“We need to go see Daisy,” Mom said. “I saw the look on her
face when we accused her of murder. It was the look of astonishment, not
guilt.”

“All the evidence leads right to her doorstep, right at her
feet,” I said.

“Is that supposed to be a pun?” Billy joked.

“The truth speaks for itself.”

“I know all the evidence points to her,” Mom said. “Evidence
can be misleading. How many times has a person been convicted who was actually
innocent? Plenty of times, I can tell you! I just read in the paper the other
day about a man who spent six years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and
that’s not the first time I’ve read something like that.”

“I see a tale heading our way.”

“I say we dig under every rock before we lay the blame at her
feet,” Mom suggested. “I have no doubts that she knew nothing about her
brother’s attempt on our lives. And you know the cops are going to charge her
with attempted murder because she came over here with a gun looking for her
brother’s killer. That’s probably the only crime she ever committed. She was
upset. She wasn’t going to harm us.”

“I can see you’ve given this much thought,” Billy said.

“Yes, I have.”

Mom looked pale and my fears concerning her health were
resurfacing. In the past few weeks, she had suffered a heart attack, endured
surgery and last, but not least, stabbed a man in the neck with a butcher
knife. I think I can safely say that the man died from that wound. It didn’t
matter that I hit him on the head with a bowling trophy… the knife to the neck
did the trick. And Mom has to live with this trauma. That’s enough to bring
even the strongest person down.

“I think you should take the day off and go horseback riding
with Sarah. I talked to her earlier and she said she hadn’t ridden her horse in
days. I suggested that the two of you go for a ride. She concurred. She
suggested that she ride her horse over here, and I’m sure Billy won’t mind
throwing a saddle on Dusty or Rusty for you. Which horse would you prefer?”

“I see what you’re trying to do,” Mom hissed. “You’re trying
to get me out of the way. You don’t think I can carry my weight.”

“That’s not the case at all. I just think you need a break.
You’ve been going nonstop for weeks. Please, do this for me. My nerves are
frayed from worrying about you. Billy and I can handle everything from now on,
and we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.”

“I guess I could spare an hour or so to go riding. When we
come back, Sarah and I can watch the kids while you and Billy go rough up poor
Daisy.”

“Now why didn’t I think of that?”

Billy didn’t make a comment. He turned and headed out to the
stables to saddle up a horse for Mom.

Mom called Sarah. When she returned, we sat on the floor and
played with Maisy. Ethan had fallen asleep and was now in his bassinet over in
the corner.

“You’re so lucky, Jesse,” Mom said. “Billy’s the best thing
that has ever happened to you. I was worried for a time. I was so afraid you’d
wind up alone. You have a big house out in the country, two kids and a husband
who loves you. This makes me so happy.”

“All good things come to those who wait. Isn’t that what
you’ve always said?”

“Yes, and I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, you were, Mom. You’re always right.”

“I’m not right all the time, but this time I’m pretty sure
I’m right about Daisy. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Perhaps you just want to believe she’s innocent.”

“I see your point.”

Billy walked in and announced that the horse was ready and
waiting.

“Come on,” he said. “I saddled Rusty for you and I just saw
Mom coming across the field.”

“Is Rusty the red one?” she asked as she stood up. “The red
horse is the one I rode before. I like him, but I don’t like to look at his
you-know-what
.”

I had to laugh out loud. “Then don’t look, Mom!”

“I bet you think I’m being silly.”

“No, I don’t,” I replied. “I know how you are, but Mom, we
can’t put underwear on the horse.”

“Now you are making fun of me!”

“Go riding and have fun. We’ll be ready to leave when you get
back.”

Two hours later, Mom and Sarah walked in the back door. They
both looked tired from the ride, but at least Mom had her color back.

“That was refreshing! I’m so glad you suggested we go for a
ride, Jesse. We had the best time. And that horse is so gentle. I think he
could sense that I was nervous. Animals are so amazing. The horses are bedded
down and are in their stalls. Sarah showed me what to do.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves,” I said as I grabbed Billy
by the arm and headed to the front door. “We’ll be back soon. Both the kids are
taking a nap. When they wake up, be sure to give Maisy an extra hug. She fell
and conked her head.”

“Is she okay?”

“It wasn’t serious, but you know how she likes attention.”

“She sounds just like someone I know,” Mom said, looking over
at me and smiling.

“I know you’re not talking about me.”

Mom made some kind of puffing noise, propped her hand on her
hip and said, “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that you gave birth to this
child. She’s just like you!”

“Pooh on you,” I said as I picked up my handbag and walked
out the front door.

“We’ll be back soon,” Billy said as he followed me.

Once in the car, I looked around and said, “I really like
this
Toyota
. Thanks so much, Billy. You made a
good choice.”

“That’s my job. You tell me what to do and I do it.”

We continued our chatter until we reached the parking garage
at the University of Virginia Hospital. Billy wasn’t convinced of Daisy’s guilt
anymore, and after listening to him, neither was I. Something she had said had
changed our minds. We both agreed that if Gabe didn’t own a .22 caliber handgun
then it was possible that she might be telling the truth about other things
after all. We were determined to get to the bottom of the story.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a police officer posted outside
Daisy’s hospital room door.

“I thought she was under arrest. Don’t they usually post a
cop by the door for anyone who’s under arrest?”

“I guess they figured she wasn’t going to run.”

I had to snicker. “Oh, Billy, you’re terrible. That was a
horrible joke.”

“It made you laugh.”

“Yeah, but…”

We stopped when we got close to her room. The door was ajar
and we could hear someone talking. Being the snoopy detectives that we are, we
stood outside and listened.

“I never should’ve let him live by himself,”
we heard Daisy say.
“The doctor
said he would need constant supervision. It’s my fault he tried to kill
himself. If I hadn’t tried to keep them apart…”

“You’re not to blame,”
a man responded.

“Yes, I am. I’m the one who made up all those lies about her.
I didn’t think she was good enough for him. I wanted my brother to have a home
and a family, and I knew she’d never give that to him. She was a tramp! My
brother tried to kill himself over her… and he failed. He tried to hang himself
and we came to his rescue. That was probably the worst thing we could’ve done.
He suffered brain damage and then lived his life in purgatory. Half the time he
didn’t know who he was. It’s my fault! I ruined his life. If he’d just died
that day, he never would’ve had to suffer like he did.”

“You can’t blame yourself,”
the man said.

I peeked into the room and saw Gabe holding Daisy’s hand. He
looked up and saw me standing by the door.

“You might as well come in,” Daisy said. “I assume you’ve
been standing outside the room listening to our conversation. I know you have
questions, so ask them. I have nothing to hide… anymore. My brother is dead and
I’ll probably go to jail. I’ve lost everything except Gabe. I know he’ll stand
by me.”

Billy and I walked into the room and stood by her bed.

“How’s your foot?” I asked.

Her foot was wrapped in white bandages and suspended in the
air from a metal contraption like you’d see on television.

After hearing her confession, I felt sorry for the woman. The
picture was becoming clear. Daisy had broken up the relationship between
Kansas
and his girlfriend, and in return,
Kansas
had tried to commit suicide, but
failed. He was to live the rest of his life out in a world unfamiliar to most
of us. Brain damage not only destroys the brain, but turns the lives of
everyone involved upside down. Maybe that was our answer as to why he killed
all those animals. Was it possible that he thought he was giving them a home
and love, but in the process, he actually did love them to death? I’ve heard of
children who hugged a pet so tightly that they choked the life out of the
animal. Was this what happened with
Kansas
?
Did he try to give love to strays and didn’t realize that he was killing them?
The thought of this almost made me cry. It was so sad to think about what his
life must have been like.

“I’ll recover,” Daisy hissed. “I was lucky. It could’ve been
worse, I guess. Unfortunately, they couldn’t save my little toe, but other than
that, I’m going to be all right. I’m sure you’re not concerned about my foot,
so just say what you have to say and then leave. I’m sure I’ll see you again
when you testify against me in court. I hope you’re happy.”

“Don’t blame me for…”

Billy gave me one of his looks and raised his hand to silence
me.

I shut up.

“We’re not here to harass you,” he said. “We just want some
answers. If you help us out, maybe we can help you.”

“How are you going to help me?”

“We can keep you from going to jail if they decide to charge
you.”

“Oh, yeah, and how are you going to do that?”

“The way I see it, you came to our house to ask questions.
You had a gun on you for your own protection.”

“That’s right,” I said. “A lot of women carry guns these
days. It’s not safe out there. The gun accidentally discharged.”

“But didn’t you already give a statement to the police?”

“We told the cops that you paid us a surprise visit, but we
never said that you threatened us.”

“That’s right,” I added. “We told the police that the gun
went off accidentally, because it did. We never said you tried to kill either
of us. And I’m sure you didn’t admit that you had any intentions of shooting
any of us, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Daisy whispered as she hung her head. When
she looked back up, she asked, “Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to
help me?”

“Too many people have been hurt for no reason.”

Billy and I stood, waiting for a reaction.

Daisy stared at us and then burst into tears. “I didn’t kill
anyone. I know that’s what you’re here for. You want to know about my friends
who died. I swear that I didn’t do it. I couldn’t hurt anyone.” She looked
away.

I knew she was hiding something. She had a deep, dark secret.
I was certain of this and I wanted to know what it was.

“I think there’s more here than meets the eye. What are you
not telling us, Daisy?”

Daisy didn’t say anything; instead, she looked up at Gabe and
cried harder. Her hands trembled and there was a noticeable twitch in her left
eye. Her lip quivered.

“Let’s tell them, Daisy,” he said. “The truth is bound to
come out eventually.”

It took a bit, but Daisy finally regained her composure and
said, “I did a terrible thing. I wasn’t trying to kill her; I just wanted
everyone to see her as unfit to be our club president. That position should’ve
been mine. I was the one who always…”

“Get to the point,” Gabe said.

“I was at the grocery store one day,” Daisy said in between
her sniffles, “and I overheard these two hippie girls talking. Well, maybe they
weren’t hippies. I don’t think they’re called that anymore.”

“Daisy…”

“Okay,” Daisy said. “Anyway, these two girls were talking
about eating mushrooms. They said they went out and got them from under cow
pies.”

I laughed when she said that.

“They said they were tripping. I got the impression that
these mushrooms must have some hallucinatory effect. So I went out and gathered
up some and cooked them for Pat. I wanted her to act stoned. That way, the
girls would think she was on drugs and she’d never get elected—and then the
spot would be mine. I know it was selfish of me. I wasn’t thinking straight.
But the mushrooms didn’t make her act weird or anything.”