Final Act Dianne Yetman (popular ebook readers txt) 📖

my gun.  It was there three weeks ago when I had the actors and staff over to the house for wine and cheese. Someone asked about the likelihood of a prop gun going off.  I took them into the library and showed them with my gun how unlikely it was that anything could go wrong.”

“Who asked you about prop guns?”

“I can’t remember, the room was crowded, people were talking.  I don’t even know if it was a man or a woman.  I didn’t think anything of it, I just answered the question.”

“Where were you last night”, Kate asked.

“Home studying material on past productions of Death of a Salesman.

“Can anyone verify that”, she asked.

“No, I was home alone and...” he paused.  “I want to call my lawyer.  Now.”

“Of course”, Gordon said.

Kate stated the time the interview had ended and shut the video recorder off.  The three officers left Henry staring into space and wringing his hands.

“Lawyer or not, he’ll be spending at least one night in lock-up”, Gordon said.

Chapter 18

An hour later Shirley sat at her desk and read the ballistic report that put Henry Ward in the running for Hanya’s shooter and, possibly as Jeffrey, Catherine and Camira’s killer.  Greed, ambition, debt, and blackmail were the theories being bandied about.

“So Jeffrey’s sexual preferences weren’t behind the killings.  I high tailed it back here to tell you the name of one of his victims and put forth a strong second candidate and then had to wait an hour before you finished your interview and debrief.  I thought I’d pee my pants if I couldn’t soon tell someone.”

“You mean to say you know the identity of at least one of the girls at the cabin,” Kate asked.

“Yes.  Donald and Eleanor Sutton’s deceased daughter, Sybil.  I recognized her in the framed picture he had in his office.  I’m speculating the dark haired girl to be Brenda Parsons’s sister – shit, I don’t even know her name, but Jeffrey would have come into contact with her through Brenda.  It should be easy enough to check out.”

“Good work, Shirley.   Have your written up the report?”

“Written, attached to an e-mail and forwarded to Gordon.  He’s probably reading it now.”

A knock on the door.   Shirley opened the door to find Withers standing with a coffee pot in one hand, a plate of cookies balanced on its top.

“Well”, he asked, “Can I come in or not?”

Shirley smiled and relieved him of the coffee pot and Kate pulled out the extra chair.

“I brewed the coffee myself”, he said.  “The warm oak cakes are courtesy of June who dropped them off ten minutes ago.”

The three detectives hoed into the treats.  “Maybe we should invite Gordon to join us”, Shirley said.  “I could kill two birds with one stone.”

“Gordon’s gone home; muttered something about picking up his wife by 7:00pm, their anniversary or something.”

Shirley’s face fell.  “I might as well fill you in now Withers.  Gordon can read the report tomorrow morning.  I’ll make it quick.  It’s getting late and I have to be getting home myself.”

Kate excused herself and stepped out into the hallway.  She punched in Roger’s cell.

“How’s it going”, she asked.

A tired sounding Roger said things were fine.

“Thought I’d bring you up to date on what’s going on.”

Roger listened without interruption until Kate finished.

“I’ll be damned, Henry Ward was telling the truth about Jeffrey’s sexual tendencies but as far as seeing him shooting at Hanya, no.  It would be against type.  He spreads his poison with his mouth, uses underhand tactics.  But I could be wrong.  Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I don’t think you are. It would be easy to set Ward up. How did it go for you today?”

“Not as bad as I thought. “Gordon called late this afternoon.  The coked up thugs were paid $10,000 to do the job, the going price among amateurs for a cop’s life these days I guess.  Divide by five - $2,000 a piece.  I’m worth more as a race driver.  I owe Hazel the homeless a lot.”

“Have you heard from her?”

“No, nothing.  So what else is new?”

“That’s it, for now, but not for long, things are starting to move, Roger.”

“Yeah, well I’d like to be in on the ground floor.”

“Get a clearance from your doctor and we’ll welcome you back with open arms.”

Kate hung up and walked back in the room just as Shirley was wrapping up.  Withers shook his head and said nothing.

“I don’t buy Henry as the killer.  I just got off the phone with Roger and he agrees with me.”

“Not that again Kate”, Withers said.  We’ve got the killer.  His gun was found at the crime scene.  He hated Stone.  Why he killed Catherine is another question I’m not sure we’ll ever get the answer to.  We need to find out how he got access to the poison, and that shouldn’t be too difficult.  They were a tight knit social circle; I bet you his name is on the visitor’s log.”

Shirley opened the envelope and read the names.

“More like whose name isn’t on the list.  We have Donald, Jim and Brenda of course, and there’s Eleanor, Henry, Andrew and yes, Henry, and some names I don’t recognize.  Business associates I assume.  All within the last two years.”

“Damndest, murkiest business I’ve been involved in”, Withers said.  “Well, I’m off, early morning line up tomorrow.”

Kate took a coin out of her pocket.

“Want to flip to see who interviews Eleanor or Brenda.  Let’s book them tonight.  I don’t feel like interrupting another rehearsal, Charlotte’s heart might not stand it.”

Chapter 18

Shirley, having won the coin toss, was interviewing Brenda in Gordon’s office.  Kate sat in her office catching up on paperwork until Eleanor arrived, another thirty minutes or so from now.

Eleanor’s timing was perfect; Kate had