Murder at the Big T Lodge: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Read online

  She took her phone from the pocket where she’d put it and photographed the poster with Milt displayed on it. She couldn’t wait to show Roger the photograph she’d taken. It didn’t mean Cassie was the one who murdered Milt, but it sure made a case that she could have been the one who did it. Cassie was now definitely at the top of Liz’s list of possible suspects. Liz decided she’d spent enough time at Cassie’s house, and she didn’t want to have to answer a nosy neighbor’s questions about why she was there, so she turned around and headed back to her car. Once she was in her car, she made a U-turn, and drove back down the gravel lane that led to the highway.

  So Cassie’s husband died under suspicious circumstance and so did his lover, the chicken, as Cindy Lou called her. Now a guest at the hunt club where Cassie works also dies under suspicious circumstances. Sure sounds like a lot of strange circumstances. I wonder if Stanley Gordon from the mortuary in Riley knows anything about those two deaths. I have to go through town on my way back to the lodge, so I might as well stop by the mortuary and see if he can tell me anything.

  A few minutes later Liz pulled into the Gordon Mortuary parking lot. There were two parked cars in it. She hoped one was Selene’s, and that the other one belonged to Stanley Gordon. When Liz entered the mortuary she saw Selene sitting at her desk. “Hi, I don’t know if you remember me, but I brought some things in yesterday to be shipped to California with Milt Huston’s body. I was wondering if Mr. Gordon is in, and if so, if he could spare me a moment of his time.”

  “I’m sure he can, Mrs. Langley. As a matter of fact, Nick, one of the employees here, just left for El Paso. He’s putting Mr. Huston’s body on a flight that leaves for California late this afternoon. His widow’s father called and made the arrangements. I’ll tell Mr. Gordon you’re here.” She called him and then said, “He’ll be happy to see you. His office is through that door.”

  Liz knocked on the door, and it was immediately opened by Stanley Gordon. “I understand one of your employees has taken Milt’s body to the airport in El Paso to be flown to California,” she said. “I’m glad that’s taken care of. I spoke with his widow this morning, and she was devastated. Her father got on the phone and told me she was pregnant, but Milt didn’t know about it. She was going to tell him about it tonight.”

  “I am so sorry. Having a loved one die is tragic enough, but a circumstance like that makes it even worse. My heart goes out to her.”

  “Mine too, but that’s not the reason I’m here,” Liz said. “I was talking to someone who told me that the husband of a woman who works at the Big T Lodge, Cassie Sowers, died several years ago. This person also told me that evidently her husband had been having an affair with a woman who died about the same time. Both of them died in their sleep. I’m wondering if you handled the funerals or if the families used your mortuary.”

  Stanley looked at Liz for a long time and then said, “That’s a very odd thing for a stranger like you to ask about. Why do you want to know?”

  Liz wondered how much she should tell him and then realized that sooner or later the cause of Milt’s death would be made public. That being the case, she decided to tell Stanley everything she knew. She took a deep breath and began. She told him about finding the liquid in Milt’s room, how she had it analyzed, her suspicions about some of the guests, and then what she had just seen at Cassie’s home.

  Stanley sat quietly and listened as Liz talked, his fingers steepled under his chin, his elbows on his desk. His grey hair was thinning, and that, along with his rimless glasses and large paunch, made him look like the quintessential small town mortuary owner.

  When Liz was finished he sat for several moments seemingly lost in thought, and then he began to speak. “Yes, my mortuary was where both of those bodies were brought. There were no signs of foul play on either of them, but something didn’t seem right to me. I remember thinking at the time that I wished we had someone here locally who could conduct an autopsy and a lab that could analyze the contents of their stomachs. I suspected that both of them had been poisoned, but as you know, in rural counties like ours when there’s no sign of foul play, a judge signs the death certificate, and that’s that. He never has to even see the body. That’s what happened in both of those cases.”

  “How well did you know Paul and the other woman?”

  “I’m about twenty years older than they were, so I’d have to say I’d known them all my life. I’ve also known Cassie all her life. I always wondered if Cassie had something to do with their deaths. It was just too coincidental. Cassie really changed after that. I don’t know if you heard, but she became extremely religious, actually a zealot, although Billy Bob, the pastor at her church doesn’t mind much, because she really helps him. I always wondered if Cassie’s sudden conversion to becoming a religious fanatic had something to do with their deaths, but I couldn’t prove it. Cassie never pursued finding out the cause of their deaths, and the other woman, whose name was Julia Walker, didn’t have a family. She lived by herself, and one of her neighbors noticed her blinds were drawn for several days, which wasn’t normal. Her neighbor was the one who discovered her body, so there really wasn’t any reason to do anything. Seemed like no one cared.”

  “Stanley, if you don’t mind, I’d like your opinion on something. Do you think Cassie is capable of murdering someone?”

  “I don’t know. The person I knew when she was younger, no. The person she’s become, possibly. Now let me ask you something.”

  “Of course,” Liz said.

  “What do you intend to do with this information?”

  “I don’t know. I’d like to know if her husband, Paul, and the woman named Julia were poisoned, but I don’t know how that can be done.”

  “Actually, I might be able to help you,” Stanley said. “Both of them are buried in the Gordon Cemetery. According to Texas law, if someone has knowledge or suspects that someone was poisoned, the sheriff has the authority to order that the body be exhumed and examined by a forensic medical pathologist. It seems to me there’s sufficient evidence concerning Milt’s cause of death that the sheriff might be willing to make such an order. He’s a very good friend of mine. I’d like to tell him what you’ve found out, if that would be all right with you.”

  “Yes, sooner or later the truth about Milt’s death will have to be told, although I don’t think Jack will be very happy about the fact it occurred at his hunting lodge. If it’s determined that Paul and Julia were poisoned, there would be a nexus to Cassie, although how that could be determined I’m not sure. How long would it take? I rather doubt there’s someone qualified to conduct a forensic examination of the two exhumed bodies from around here.”

  “That’s true. The sheriff would have to request that someone from El Paso come here to Riley to conduct the examination. Actually, it could probably be done tomorrow if I call him now, but I’m concerned about one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Liz asked.

  “Cassie comes to the graveyard every day and puts a flower on Paul’s grave. She’s been doing that since the day he was buried, even in the worst weather imaginable. She’s obviously going to find out his body has been exhumed for one reason or another. If she suspects that your information had anything to do with it, and if Cassie is the murderer, you could be in danger. I just want to make that clear to you before I place the call to the sheriff.”

  Liz sat quietly for several moments. “I see what you’re saying, but sooner or later she’s going to know I was involved when the sheriff makes it known I was the one who discovered that Milt’s death was caused by a fatal dose of poison, not from dying in his sleep.”

  “Liz, my family has been in this business for several generations, and I take this profession and my title as owner of the Gordon Mortuary very seriously. I have no choice, given what I now know, but to request that the bodies of Paul and Julia be exhumed and examined. Failure to do so would be unethical. However, I also feel this is your decision, because you’re the one whose l
ife may be in jeopardy. I want you to be very sure this is what you want me to do.”

  “Stanley, I don’t think I could live with myself if I had knowledge that there’s a good chance two people were murdered, and I chose to do nothing with that information. I promise I’ll be very careful. As a matter of fact, if you look out the window, you’ll see a huge dog in the car I’m driving that’s kind of adopted me. He’s with me during the day at the lodge, and my husband is with me at night. Thanks for your concern, but I’ll be fine. Go ahead and make the call to the sheriff while I use the bathroom.”

  When she returned Stanley said, “I talked to the sheriff, and he said he’d arrange for the bodies of Paul and Julia to be exhumed tomorrow. He’s having a forensic pathologist come and examine the bodies and test them for the presence of any poison. He said he’d make it a top priority, and we should have the results late tomorrow or first thing day after tomorrow. I just want to tell you how much I admire you for doing this, but again, I want to caution you to be careful. I know there are a lot of guns at the lodge, but do you have your own?”

  “No. I have one at my home in California, but there certainly didn’t seem to be any reason for me to bring it on this trip.”

  He stood up and walked over to a glass gun case at the rear of his office. He took a keychain out of his pocket and opened the case. A moment later he walked over to her and said, “Take this gun. It’s small, and I’d like you to keep it with you at all times. I’m assuming you know how to shoot a gun, right?”

  “Yes. There have been several times when my husband insisted I carry one with me. I’m no stranger to them, and I really appreciate your concern. Thank you, but isn’t there some requirement that I need to have a license to carry the gun?”

  “No, here in Texas our gun laws are very liberal and almost nonexistent. It’s perfectly legal under Texas law for me to give the gun to you and for you to carry it. There’s no need for registration or anything like that.”

  “Again, thanks. Here’s my cell phone number,” Liz said. “When you learn something I’d appreciate it if you’d call me.”

  Stanley stood up and put his hand out. “Trust me, you’ll be the first to know anything. You’re a very brave woman. Tell your husband he’s a lucky man.”

  “Thanks,” Liz said smiling, “although there have been times when I’m not so sure he’d agree with you.” She shook his hand and walked out to her car where Sam was patiently waiting, the late afternoon sky beginning to turn grey, the forerunner of the night sky.

  CHAPTER 29

  When Liz returned to the lodge she was glad she had about half an hour before the hunters would be returning. Sam followed her to the kitchen and laid down in front of the door. She knocked on it, and Wes immediately opened it. “Come in, Liz. I’ve been thinking about you. What did you find out this afternoon?”

  She looked around the kitchen and whispered, “Where’s Cassie?”

  “We have a little building close by where we keep our non-refrigerated items. I sent her over there with a long list of things we need. I was hoping she’d be there when you returned. She won’t be back for a half hour or so. If you can kind of summarize what you found out, I’d appreciate it, because I’m a little under the gun this time of day.”

  “I’ll make it quick and simple.” She briefly told him what she’d found when she’d searched the rooms, her visit to Cindy Lou, and concluded with the revelation that the bodies of Paul and Julia were going to be exhumed.

  He stared at her for a moment with a look of disbelief on his face. “Do you really think Cassie was involved?”

  “I have no idea, but we’ll certainly be in a better position to make an educated guess after tomorrow, not that I know where we’ll go with it. I’ll talk to Roger later on and see what he has to say. His background is in criminal law, so I’m sure he’ll have some thoughts on it.”

  “You mentioned Stanley had given you a gun. I agree with him that you could be in danger. I really do need to get this dinner going, but I’d like to talk to you at length tomorrow, say after breakfast?”

  “Yes, and I’d like to pick your brain some more. I’m kind of at a loss as what to do at this point.”

  “I don’t blame you. Maybe a few hours away from it will give you some insights.”

  As she left the kitchen she heard the ATVs pulling into the circular driveway of the lodge, signaling that the guests had returned from the afternoon hunt. Sam hurried to find Jack, so he could be served his evening meal. Liz saw Roger entering the lodge, and she joined him. “Well, Mr. Hunter, how was your afternoon?” she asked as they walked up the stairs.

  “It was fabulous. I’ve got the hang of it now, and I really did well. The man I hunted with this afternoon, that dentist you talked to last night at dinner, and the guide both really complimented me. I’ll probably never do this again, but it’s been the experience of a lifetime. I always wondered what it would be like to hunt at a premier lodge, and now I know. Plus, I’m not even addressing the fabulous food we’ve had. To change the subject, what did you do this afternoon?” he asked as he pulled his key out of his pocket, put it in the lock, and opened the door to their suite.

  “I’ll tell you all about it after dinner when we get back to the room. It’s a long story, and I don’t want to be late for dinner. We only have tonight and tomorrow, and as good as Wes’ food is, I don’t want to miss it.”

  “So it’s Wes now?” Roger said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes, and as I said, I’ll tell you all about it after dinner. It was quite the day, and you can lower your eyebrow,” she said laughing.

  “Sweetheart, where you’re concerned, that doesn’t surprise me in the least, but I definitely want to hear all about it.”

  They changed clothes and walked down the stairs to the sound of convivial voices telling war stories about the day’s hunt. Sam was waiting for Liz and accompanied Roger and her into the great room. She smiled at several people and once again silently complimented Jack for not decorating the walls with stuffed animals. His taste, or whoever had done the interior design, resulted in a look best described as chic hunt club elegance.

  They went into the dining room and found their name cards along with the evening’s menu. Liz looked at it and saw where the main entrée was going to be a skillet roasted chicken breast with mushroom gravy, along with creamy risotto studded with pancetta, and garlic brussel sprouts. Her mouth watered just reading about what was to come.

  Her dining companions were delightful. The man on her left, Rich Jessup, was a cosmetic surgeon from New York who had wanted to come to The Big T Lodge for years, but only recently had found the time to get away from his busy medical practice. On her right was David Noyes, the owner of an insurance company which specialized in insuring private aircraft. He was from Miami and had flown to the lodge in his private jet. David said if he was going to be the president of a company which insured private planes, he might as well assure his customers that he thought private planes were not only an easier way to travel than flying commercially, but that they were safer. He told her most airplane crashes weren’t the fault of the plane, but the fault of the pilot.

  When dinner ended Roger looked across the table and with his finger, pointed upward, indicating he wanted to go up to their room. Liz told Rich and David how much she’d enjoyed talking with them and walked up the stairs with Roger and Sam who had joined them as they left the dining room. As soon as they walked into their room, Sam laid down on the colorful braided rug and promptly fell asleep.

  “Liz, I don’t know if your dinner was as good as mine, but please ask Wes, as you now call him, if you can have the recipe for the risotto. That was fabulous, and the pancetta in it was a nice touch. I’ve never had anything quite like that.”

  “Nor have I, and yes, I will ask Wes for the recipe. We’re best buds now, so I imagine he’ll give it to me.”

  “Best buds? With the chef? Why am I not surprised?” he asked.

  “Ro
ger, it’s been quite a day. Why don’t you sit down? I’ve got a lot to tell you.” She began with the email she’d received from Sean late that morning.

  CHAPTER 30

  Jesse and the other server, Zach, carried the dishes from the dining room into the kitchen and began the chore of cleaning up after the evening meal. A few moments later there was a knock on the kitchen door.

  “I’ll get it,” Cassie said to Wes who was in the pantry sitting at his desk working on the menu for the following day.

  She opened the door and saw Emilio DeLuise standing there. “Cassie, would you do me a favor? I have to make some calls to Italy, the difference in time changes you know, and I’d really like to sip on a brandy while I’m making them. I want to take a shower first, so would you please bring a brandy up to me in about half an hour?”

  “Of course. I’d be happy to, Mr. DeLuise.”

  Thirty minutes later she walked into the pantry, and told Wes she was taking a brandy up to Emilio DeLuise’s room, and she’d be back shortly. He nodded, not paying much attention, completely absorbed in what he was doing.

  Cassie carried the brandy up the stairs and knocked on Emilio’s door. He quickly opened it, took it from her, and thanked her for bringing it. She turned to walk back downstairs when she thought she heard a woman in room ten say the word “Paul.” She assumed it was Liz Langley as the names Roger and Liz Langley were posted next to the door of their room. She bent down next to their door to give the appearance she was looking for something on the floor in case someone happened to question why she was there. She listened intently to the voice coming from inside the room.