Murder at the Church: Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series Page 9

  “I can talk to her later, if you’d like,” Brigid offered.

  “That’d be great,” Sheriff Davis said. “I don’t want to upset her any more than she already is. Need to get a list of suspects together as soon as possible. I know you’re aware of how ‘portant it is we get the ball rollin’. Time is of the essence here.”

  Brigid nodded. “I know Missy and Maggie talked a lot about her past. Maggie had brought up doing bad things in her former life that she wanted to make up for. I would think whoever those people are could possibly be suspects.”

  Sheriff Davis nodded. “If ya’ could get a list of suspects together, that’d be great. We’ll keep workin’ on our end, but if you can work yer’ magic like ya’ done last time, ya’ can really help me out.” The dispatcher’s voice came through on his radio, interrupting their conversation. When he was finished answering he turned his radio down.

  “Also, if ya’ can, I’d appreciate if you’d ask Holly if she can think of anyone that mighta’ been upset with her mother lately. Know I’m askin’ a lot, but people tend to clam up when they see the uniform.” He shrugged. “Can’t say as I blame ‘em, but we need answers soon as we can get ‘em.”

  “Will do,” Brigid nodded. “I’ll talk to them both today.” She looked toward the house, thinking, before turning back to Sheriff Davis. “What about school? I know she does well and gets good grades, but I can’t imagine that she’ll want to go back right away after this. Is there any way she can have her school work sent here? It would give her something to do and keep her mind busy on other things.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Linc said.

  “I’ll get ahold of John Bartlett. He’s the principal. I’m sure he can work somethin’ out. I know tomorrow’s Monday but let her know I’ll take care of it. I’ll call ya’ when I know more,” he said. He began to tap his chin, “I know there was somethin’ else I was needin’ to tell ya’…” He was quiet for a moment, then he said, “Oh yeah. Right before I got out of the car, one of my deputies let me know they’re done over at the trailer. Whenever Holly feels up to it, she can take whatever she wants outta’ it. If ya’ need any help movin’ things, let me know.”

  “We can use my truck, if you’d like,” Linc offered. “I can help carry the heavier stuff.”

  “Ya’ need any more manpower, ya’ just give me a holler. Me or one of the deputies will come help. Jes’ say the word.” With that, Sheriff Davis stood up and stretched. “The day started out purty early fer me, and I got a feelin’ it ain’t gonna’ end anytime soon. Lemme’ know what ya’ find out, and Linc, keep an eye on her,” he said pointing to Brigid.

  “You know I will, Sheriff,” Linc said, winking at her. Brigid rolled her eyes and smiled.

  “Call me later when ya’ get a list together, so we can get started.” He stood up, threw his jacket over his shoulder, touched his hand to the brim of his hat, and walked around the corner of the house towards his car.

  “You want me to tag along with you today?” Linc asked after the sheriff left.

  “No, that’s okay,” Brigid said. “I know you had plans. Besides, I don’t see myself getting into too much trouble visiting Missy.”

  “If you change your mind, just let me know.” He looked at the time on his phone and sighed. “I better get to it. Between some chores I have to do around the house and wrapping up a bit of client work, I do have a full day ahead of me.” He stood and leaned over Brigid. He cupped her chin before kissing her gently. “Once Holly gets settled we should have dinner together.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Brigid said. “Tonight, I think it would be better if it was just Holly and me, so we can get to know each other a little more. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Of course not,” Linc said. He yawned. “I think there may be a nap in my future.”

  Brigid couldn’t help but yawn, too. “I think you’re right.” She stood and gave him another kiss and pulled him close. Brigid felt a bit unnerved, but she didn’t want to let Linc know that. It wasn’t as though she felt she was in any danger. Far from it. It was just the thought that once again there was someone out there who had murdered another human being in cold blood in the small town of Cottonwood Springs. Her heart ached for the young woman who was now under her care.

  She waved to Linc as she watched him disappear around the corner of the house. When he was gone, she slipped back inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. Creeping through the house, she tiptoed down the hall until she was outside what was now Holly’s room. She’d been thinking about redecorating the room, and evidently someone had been listening. Now it would be Holly’s. Sometime soon she’d take Holly to buy paint and allow her to paint the bedroom whatever color she wished. The existing beiged color walls had never been one of Brigid’s favorites.

  Gently pushing the door open, Brigid peeked around the corner. Jett was curled up on the bed with Holly, both of them napping. She had her arm draped over him. Jett opened his eyes and looked at Brigid, but he didn’t move. She had a feeling he was there more for support than anything. She was learning that Jett was an extremely empathetic dog with a huge heart. He closed his eyes again, and Brigid silently backed out of the room.

  Still being quiet, she walked to her bedroom, yawning once again. Considering how early she’d gotten up, she decided a short nap wouldn’t hurt. She set her alarm to wake her up in an hour and snuggled down under the covers. It didn’t take long until everyone in the house was fast asleep.

  CHAPTER 13

  Before she sat down at the kitchen table, Brigid slid two plates, each with a turkey sandwich and chips on them across the table. One for her and one for Holly.

  “How are you feeling?” Brigid asked after she was seated at the table.

  “Like everything is a dream. It seems surreal.” Holly picked her sandwich up and took a bite, but she seemed distracted.

  “What’s wrong?” Brigid asked. She could tell the girl was bothered by something and wasn’t talking about it. She didn’t want to pry, but she also wanted Holly to know she was there for support if she needed it.

  “I don’t know,” Holly began. “It’s hard to put into words. I don’t want…” She stopped suddenly.

  “Don’t want what?” Brigid prodded.

  “I don’t want you to think I’m a bad person.” Holly’s eyes met Brigid’s.

  “Why would I think that? You can talk to me, Holly. I promise I’m not going to judge you. I’m sure you have a ton of things swirling around in your mind, and that’s perfectly normal,” Brigid said as she took a bite of her sandwich.

  “Is it bad that I’m kind of relieved she’s gone? I mean, I loved her but…” She let the sentence trail off.

  “But she was a handful?” Brigid suggested.

  “Yeah, kind of. I was so used to the mom who would disappear and leave me to take care of myself. It feels like she’s just on one of her benders, you know? Like she’s just off doing her own thing again and abandoned me in the process.”

  “I think it’s perfectly understandable for you to feel that way, Holly. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. You’re probably going to have all sorts of emotions in the next few weeks, and it’s healthy to talk about them.”

  Brigid stopped and looked at Holly, debating whether or not it was the right time to ask Holly if she had any idea who could have killed her mother. She decided this was as good a time as any. “I hate to ask you this, Holly, but Sheriff Davis wondered if you had any thoughts on who could have done this to your mother?”

  Holly’s eyes flashed and met Brigid’s. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” she began. “I know Mom screwed over a lot of people, but I don’t know exactly who. I suppose it could be any one of them, but I kind of don’t think it was.”

  “Why?” Brigid asked. Jett joined the two of them at the kitchen table and flopped down between their feet, hoping they might drop something on the floor.

  Holly pulled the crust off her bread and fed it to him.
“I don’t know, a hunch maybe? I think either Billy or Sam probably knows something.”

  “Billy or Sam? Who are they?” Brigid asked.

  “Billy is, well, he was Mom’s boyfriend. She broke up with him when he wouldn’t get sober with her. He’s been hounding her ever since. She was ignoring his calls, texts, and even tried to avoid him when she saw him at the store. He was getting pretty persistent, though.” Holly shook her head. “He’s a real piece of…” She caught herself before swearing. “Work,” she said, finishing the sentence. “Sam was one of Mom’s druggie friends. Neither one of them ever paid any attention to me, but I saw the way Sam looked at Billy and my mom. She was jealous of my mother.”

  “Really? Like she wanted Billy?” Brigid asked.

  “Exactly. I don’t know why, but I feel like they know something.” Holly started to chew on her fingernail.

  “Well, if they do, I’m sure the police will find out. Do you know what their last names are? I’ll be talking to Sheriff Davis later, and I can tell him about them, if that’s all right with you.”

  “Sure. Their names are Billy Watkins and Samantha Rogers. I’m sure he’ll know who they are.”

  Brigid stood up and took her empty plate to the sink. “I have a few things I need to do. You’re welcome to tag along with me if you’d like to, or you can stay here and watch TV or get on the internet.” She leaned back against the sink for a moment while she waited for Holly to respond.

  “What kind of cable do you have?” Holly asked.

  “I have the big package. Just scroll through if you want. There’s also Hulu and Netflix. Feel free to make your own profiles. There’s a computer in my office if you’d like to get online.” She took a deep breath and then she continued, “Holly, I know you’re a smart girl, and you’ve been taking care of yourself for a long time, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t go into town alone for a while.

  “Let’s face it. There’s a killer out there. Jett’s been trained, so he’ll protect you here at the house. He’ll let you know if he needs to go out, but he shouldn’t need to for a while. There’s plenty of food in the fridge, and when you’d like to, we can go the store and get some of your favorite foods.”

  Holly nodded. “I don’t really have anywhere I want to go. I’d kind of like to lay low, so I think I’ll stay here if that’s okay with you. I promise I won’t get into trouble.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll leave my cell phone number tacked on the fridge, and Linc’s number too. He’s my friend and next door neighbor. If there’s an emergency, don’t hesitate to call him. He’ll be over in no time.”

  A little later Brigid pulled up in front of Missy and Jordan’s home which was located behind the church. She’d called Missy to make sure she was home and to see if she wanted a little company. When she got out of her car, she saw Missy sitting on the porch in a wicker rocking chair. The large home was painted white and accented with deep blue shutters on either side of the large front windows. Pillows in the same color of blue were on the wicker porch furniture. A wrap-around screened-in porch was attached to the house. The effect was one of an elegant old farmhouse.

  When Missy saw Brigid, she stood up and walked over to the screen door, holding it open for her. When she was inside the porch, Brigid hugged her. “How are you doing, Missy?” she asked.

  “Slightly better now. I’m sorry for the way I acted this morning.” She sat back down on the rocker while Brigid sat in one of the wicker chairs. “Would you like some lemonade?” Missy asked. She had a pitcher and an extra glass sitting on the low table in front of her.

  “Sure, thank you.” Brigid said.

  “How’s Holly holding up?” Missy asked as she poured the lemonade. “I’ve been thinking of that poor girl all morning.”

  “She’s okay. She’s at home right now, resting. We still have to get the rest of her stuff from Maggie’s trailer, so she can fully settle in. I think I’m going to look for an inexpensive laptop for her. That way, she’ll be able to get online while I work.”

  “Brigid, I have one she can have. We recently upgraded the laptop I use, and there’s not a thing wrong with it. I just decided to get a newer one, because it was on sale. Mine’s only about two years old. Remind me before you leave, and I’ll get it for you.” Missy smiled. “That would make me feel good. I’ve been trying to figure out what I was going to do with it, and also what I could do for Holly.”

  “Thanks Missy. I’m sure she’ll be excited about it.”

  “Tell her I’ll stop by and visit her in a few days. I’d do it sooner, but I just…” Missy couldn’t finish her sentence. She was too choked up and fighting back tears.

  “Don’t worry about it. You need to take care of yourself, too. You and Maggie seemed to be very close,” Brigid said. “I know this has to be very hard on you.”

  She nodded. “It is. I just don’t understand how this could happen.” Missy sniffed. “I mean, who would murder someone in a church?”

  “I don’t know. I’m helping Sheriff Davis collect leads now,” Brigid said. “Do you have any idea of who might have done it?”

  “You bet I do.” Missy said with conviction. “As a matter of fact, I have several thoughts on who might have done it. I began thinking about it when I came back to the house and started to clean. I think best when I’m cleaning, you know,” she said as a side note.

  “Who did you come up with?” Brigid asked as she pulled a small notebook out of her purse, so she could take notes.

  “First off, there’s Frank Sterling. He was very vocal in his hatred of Maggie.”

  “Really? Why?” Brigid decided not to tell Missy that she’d already heard something about Frank from Fiona.

  “His father used to live on his own, and he had some sort of disability service that paid people to come in and do things for him around the house. He could pick the person who was hired, but the company paid them. Maggie was working for the company, and they sent her to his house. As I understand it, she did a great job for a while. She was pretty strung out back then, though. She admitted to me she’d convinced Paul, Frank’s father, that things should be put away in the attic for safekeeping. Instead, she’d steal them, so she could trade or sell them for drugs or alcohol.”

  “Wow.” Brigid’s eyes opened wide, pretending to be shocked.

  “Yeah. Maggie wasn’t proud of what she’d done. When she needed money, she’d tell Paul that the company wasn’t paying her on time. She’d ask him for a loan and promise to deposit the money into his account when she got paid.”

  “Only she never did,” Brigid concluded, thinking this was exactly what Fiona had told her the day before.

  “Exactly. She ended up draining his bank account. Paul went downhill fairly fast after he found out what had happened. I understand he was depressed and hurt. Frank moved his father in with him not long after that.” Missy took a sip of her lemonade and waited to see what Brigid had to say.

  “I can see why he was mad, but I’m not sure that’s cause for murder,” Brigid said.

  “I’d agree with you, but that was before Frank went off on Maggie right here at the church. He came in one Sunday and saw her sitting in a pew before the service. He made a big scene when he saw her. Said he wouldn’t go to any church she attended, and she deserved to rot and burn in Hell for all eternity for what she’d done.

  “This happened when she’d first gotten clean. I was trying to calm him down when Maggie rushed out of church. After that, she’d wait until the service had started and slip in the back and then leave before it was over to avoid him.”

  “You’re saying just the sight of her set him off. Right?” Brigid knew who Frank Sterling was, and he wasn’t known for being a calm, cool-headed man, even in the best of times.

  “Definitely.”

  “Anyone else?” Brigid asked.

  “Maggie did mention that her ex-boyfriend, Billy, had been harassing her lately. She told me he’d corner her when he saw her in a store and
try to get her to go places with him. I know she was afraid of him.”

  “Holly mentioned him this morning along with another friend named Sam,” Brigid said, flipping back to the page in her notebook where she’d jotted down the names Holly had given her earlier. “Do you know anything about her?”

  Missy shook her head. “Maggie never mentioned her to me.” She pursed her lips as she thought. “I know I’m forgetting someone else…. I remember now. It’s the Thompsons!”

  “Do you mean Mark and MaryAnn Thompson?” Brigid asked. She deliberately tried to look amazed, because she didn’t want Missy to know that Fiona had already told her about them.

  “Yes, apparently Maggie got tangled up with them as well.” Missy paused as Brigid wrote their names down. “I’ve pieced a few things together from what Maggie told me and from what I’ve overheard. Unfortunately, some of the women in our congregation are serious gossips. I try to avoid them, but I keep an ear open to see what’s going on. It’s my understanding that before Maggie was with Billy, Maggie and Mark were having an affair.”

  “Now, that is unexpected,” Brigid said. She knew Mark from school. Growing up, he was always one of the rich kids, and now he was quite wealthy in his own right. His wife, MaryAnn, had been in school with them, too. She’d always been one of the most popular girls in school and was used to getting whatever she wanted. No one was surprised when they got married. It seemed like a match made in heaven.

  “To be honest, I was fairly shocked when I heard about it. I guess they met at a local bar and hit it off. They began having an affair and as time went by, things got fairly hot and heavy. Mark got very serious about their relationship and started telling Maggie that he wanted to leave MaryAnn. He said he’d never felt about anyone like he did about Maggie. It freaked Maggie out. She broke things off with him just as the rumors really started to fly.

  “Mark became physically violent with Maggie in the parking lot outside the bar after she told him it was over between them. She had bruises on her where he’d grabbed her.” Missy shook her head, remembering how dark the bruises were and how Maggie had tried to dismiss the severity of them.