Authors: Betty Sullivan LaPierre
Tom studied Ken as he spoke.
"I did some sleuthing on my own.
After the report came out on how Bud died, I couldn't figure out how anyone could have pumped him full of phenobarbital.
I checked with some medical people and they said it can be injected.
Now how in the hell did they get Bud to stand still so they could poke him with a needle?
He was a big guy."
"They must have knocked him out first," Tom said.
"No way would the examiner be able to tell us.
The body was too badly burned."
Ken ran a hand over his forehead.
"I also tried to track his whereabouts after we played golf.
He disappeared into thin air."
He shifted in his seat and crossed his legs.
"Do you think Ryan Conners killed Bud to shut him up?"
"That's possible, but then who killed Ryan to quiet him?
I'm sure you know by now that you're our prime suspect.
We know you bet and lost heavily on the horse races."
Tom cleared his throat.
"More than you can cover with your salary."
"I wouldn't kill over it."
"Men have killed for less."
"So, I'm definitely the number one suspect?"
"Afraid so, Ken.
Unless you can show me why you shouldn't be."
"All I can tell you is I'm not a murderer.
Even though I hit my wife and one of my daughters, which I regret with all my heart.
This whole thing is tearing me apart.
So let me tell you why I'm a bastard and murder suspect number one."
Chapter Twenty-eight
After two hours Ken finally stopped talking.
"There, you have it.
That's my story."
Tom looked at him, stunned by what he'd just heard.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me you had an alibi at the beginning?"
"I didn't think I needed one.
I'm a stubborn son-of-a-bitch and hated people judging me."
His shoulders slumped.
"Also, I thought the police would find the murderer by now.
I feel like I'm being framed, but I don't know by whom.
I'm as frustrated as you are, Tom."
"Now that you've told me about the Conners woman, I'd like to see that letter."
Ken ran his hand over his face.
"Oh, God, what'd I do with it?
I remember wadding it up and tossing it."
He thought for a moment, then jumped up.
"Let me check my office."
He returned within a few minutes, smoothing out wrinkled sheets of paper.
"Sorry it's in such bad shape.
But she's really got me by the balls.
As I told you," he raised his brows, " I borrowed some money from the company.
But in this letter, it sounds like Ryan and I were embezzling thousands of dollars of the company's profits.
I only did it once, but it would be hard to prove with Ryan skimming every month, making it look like I was in on it."
Tom scanned the letter, then glanced at Ken.
"Do you think Ryan actually wrote this or do you think his wife did it with the computer program?"
Ken flopped down on the couch.
"Hard to say.
They might have composed it together.
But I do believe when the police moved in he got scared and panicked.
I actually figured he committed suicide under the pressure.
It surprised me when you said he'd been murdered."
Tom folded the letter and stuck it into his pocket.
"What do you think Mrs. Conners will want next, now that she has her car?"
Ken's eyes turned fiery.
He jumped up and paced the room.
"She can go to hell as far as I'm concerned.
She's not getting any more out of me."
Tom rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Don't turn her off yet.
There just might be a link to the killer here."
Ken halted abruptly, looking surprised.
"Really?
Autumn Conners?"
He waved it off.
"Come on, Tom.
Give me a break.
She's a piece of junk.
Ryan only stayed with her because of the two little girls."
"There could be an accomplice.
I think she's hiding something."
He patted the pocket where he'd shoved the letter. "This gives me enough to put a man on her tail."
Before heading out the door, Tom turned, poking a finger in the air.
"If she approaches you again, get in touch with me immediately."
"Sure will."
*****
Ken let out a long sigh as he watched Tom's car disappear into the darkness.
He closed the door and went back into the recreation room where he poured himself a double scotch, then flopped down on the couch.
After gulping half the drink, Ken let his gaze travel around the empty room.
He set his glass on the coffee table and dropped his head into his hands.
"Sandy, I need you and the girls.
I promise never to hurt you again.
Please come home."
*****
Tom hurried to his car and called Cliff on the cell phone.
"Meet me at the office.
The case is starting to break."
When Cliff arrived, he found Tom at his desk with the murder files piled in front of him.
"What's the big rush?"
"I think we're getting closer to the killer."
"So you talked with Weber tonight?
"Yeah, he bared his soul.
Made sense for a change."
"And you believe he's innocent?"
Tom held up a hand.
"I'm not ruling him out.
He may have just given me a convincing snow job, but it sure gave me some ideas for other avenues to explore.
Since we've found nothing concrete on Ken, he just might be innocent."
Tom glanced at Cliff for the first time since he'd entered the office, and frowned.
"Where the hell have you been?
Looks like you went to bed in those clothes."
Cliff chuckled as he looked down at his rumpled pants.
"I crashed on the couch when I got home, slept like a baby until your call came in.
It sounded urgent, so I didn't bother to change.
Who's going to see me at this hour?
Maybe some perp we bring in off the street.
And who gives a shit?"
Tom shrugged and stifled a grin.
"Long as you don't smell."
Cliff sniffed at each armpit.
"Nope, still sweet.
So, what've you got in mind?"
Tom sat forward and told him Ken Weber's story, then explained his plan.
When he finished, Cliff scratched his sideburns and leaned back in his chair.
"I think you've got something.
When do we start?"
"First thing in the morning.
We'll go through the Conners' house again.
We just did a walk-through after Ryan's death.
This time, I want a thorough search done and some pertinent questions asked Autumn Conners.
So get another search warrant.
I don't want her coming back at us."
"And she damn well would," Cliff said, standing.
"With two little kids she'll be up early.
So, I'll meet you here at six-thirty with warrant in hand."
*****
Angie and Sandy were curled up on each end of the couch watching a television program when the phone rang.
Angie picked up the portable on the end table.
"Hello."
She shot a look at Sandy.
"I don't know, Ken.
I'll check and see if she wants to talk."
Covering the receiver with her hand, she glanced across the couch.
Sandy stood.
"I'll take it in the kitchen."
Thirty minutes later, she came back into the study, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
Angie flipped off the television with the remote.
"So, what did he have to say?"
"Tom went by there this evening after he left us.
Ken talked to him for two hours and told him everything."
Furrowing her brow, Angie looked at her.
"What do you mean, 'everything'?"
"He hopes he convinced Tom that he had nothing to do with the murders of Bud or Ryan.
And it is true that Ken was at home when both murders were committed.
You even talked to him the night Bud disappeared.
The night Ryan was killed, one of the twins got a good case of food poisoning.
She stayed up most of the night vomiting.
Ken and I took turns taking care of her until daybreak."
Angie reached over and grasped her arm.
"Sandy, I've never believed Ken killed Bud.
But I worried about it because of his behavior toward you, thinking maybe I didn't know the man like I thought I did."
"Thanks for your faith in him.
To tell you the truth I had my doubts too.
But now, knowing he's talked to Tom makes me feel a lot better."
"So what's he worried about?"
"He did take money from the company.
But, he told Bud about it and promised to pay it back.
Somehow, Autumn Conners found out and is now blackmailing Ken."
Angie jumped up.
"What?
Autumn Conners?
How?"
She gave Ken a copy of a letter that she says Ryan left.
The original is with a lawyer.
It implies that Ryan and Ken were embezzling funds together.
Ken says it's a lie, but he can't prove it now that Bud's dead.
He swears he only took money once for gambling debts.
But the letter instructed her to warn Ken that if he doesn't give her everything she wants, she's going to the police."
Angie shook her head.
"I can't believe this."
"If there's some way we could prove that Bud knew about it and had given Ken an alternative, then it wouldn't be embezzlement.
Otherwise," Sandy choked on a sob, "Ken will probably go to jail."
Angie snapped her fingers and hurried to the computer.
Sandy jerked her head around and followed Angie.
"What are you doing?"
"This might be a futile search, as I know nothing about accounting.
But let's see if Bud entered anything in the books that might explain Ken's debt.
Maybe between the two of us, we can spot it."