Black Princess Mystery (26 page)

“Yes, it
is a remote location. The murderer could have done his deed without fear of
being disturbed. If Gina Dawson is wrong about the time, it definitely could
have been Mike Power.”

“Do you
suspect Gina of flagrantly lying to the police?”

“I don’t
know. I remember a case where two college football teams were playing in a big
game and there was a controversial call. Afterwards, a psychology professor did
some research. One team—the team that benefitted from the call—swore under oath
and even passed lie detector tests saying the call was correct. The other team—the
team the call went against—swore under oath and even passed lie detector tests
that the call was a mistake. Neither was lying and both sincerely believed they
were correct. It was a case of willed perception. Both of them saw what they
wanted to see. Their minds tricked them. Maybe the same is true of Gina.
Perhaps she left at nine and has convinced herself it was nine-thirty. If
that’s the case, Mike Power could have thrown on his things and raced out the
back door.”

“You must
have talked to the doctor,” Tasheka said. “Did he say Mike was ill?”

“The
doctor said he didn’t receive any calls from Mr. Power, but Mike never said he
called the doctor. Most people wouldn’t. They’d just go to bed.”

“And what
about Jake Thompson?” Tasheka asked.

“He was
working, or so he says, in his shop behind their house. As you know, that shop
is no more than a ten-minute walk from Dead Man’s Oak.”

“You sound
suspicious of him.”

“We are,
of course. But we’re really looking at all five suspects: Mike Power, Henrietta
Gable, Matt Vendor, Jake or Linda Thompson, and the brother, William Murphy.”

“Seven
suspects,” Tasheka corrected.

“Seven?”
he asked.

“Don’t be
coy, detective,” Tasheka replied. “McNab is also investigating me—we both know
that—and he’s interested in my mother.”

Chapter
Sixteen

“Why would
you think we’re investigating you and your mother, Tasheka?”

“Well, you
can ask McNab why he’s investigating me. I’m sure he’ll tell you. And the
reason you’re investigating my mother is because of a certain incident.” She
hesitated for a moment. “Thorston, I have been open and honest with you, so
tell me what Detective McNab is saying about my mother.”

“Like I
said,” Thorston responded, obviously uncomfortable, “McNab suspects everyone,
but he also understands this is not a simple case. There is circumstantial
evidence against a lot of people because Tim Murphy, to be absolutely honest,
was a lousy priest and not much of a human being. He was a con artist and he
had a lot of enemies.”

“Tell me
what McNab is saying about my mother.”

He
hesitated and then reluctantly began speaking. “We know that before and after
your father died, Tim Murphy was supportive of your mother and she leaned on
him every day. It’s no secret that she often walked with him to Dead Man’s Oak
during the grieving period. I think it’s safe to say she began to rely on him.”

“She fell
in love with him,” Tasheka admitted, “or at least she thought she did. Dad had
been sick for a long time and he pulled back, including from my mother. He died
and I went back to university. She was all alone. He became her crutch and
someone she could count on day in and day out. Women are funny that way. They
develop strong affections for men who are reliable. Of course he was a lot
younger than her and he was a priest, but she loved him just the same. And I
have no doubt that he led her on. He would call, write nice notes, send
flowers. Father Tim was a player with a collar.”

“Do you
think he was after her money?”

“When my
father died, besides the property and businesses, he left me and my mother over
seven million dollars each. I think you know the priest well enough to realize
that would not have gone unnoticed.” She paused. “He convinced her to
contribute to a church fund, no doubt the Henderson Fund, and by the time I
found out about it, she had already given him seventy-five thousand dollars in
cash. She didn’t even get a receipt and there was no record. He told her he was
using it for his anti-drug work, but I know the money went directly into his
personal account.”

“Were you
angry when you found out?”

“I was.”

“How
angry?”

“Angry,”
she admitted, “but not as angry as I was in November.”

“What
happened?” he asked softly.

“This is a
highly personal matter, so you must swear to secrecy.”

“All
right.”

“I
unexpectedly came home on November the sixth. It was a Friday. I had been
working hard at school and needed a break, but when I drove into the yard I saw
Father Tim’s car in the driveway. I knew he had been supporting my mother after
my father’s death and trying to make her feel better. She really was a mess.
Anyway, the door was locked and I quietly entered, but I was surprised not to
see them in the living room or kitchen. I heard something upstairs, tiptoed up
the steps, and looked into the bedroom.” She hesitated. “Father Tim and my
mother were in bed together.”

“Wow,”
Thorston said.

“I was
shocked, to say the least, and I freaked out. I turned and walked downstairs
but I was screaming my head off. Tim rushed past me, still buttoning up his
shirt, and I had a long talk with my mother. That’s when I told her Tim had
been using her for money.”

“How did
she take it?”

“My mother
was always pretty and her vanity had been cultured from the time she was
little. She depended on her beauty and she thought Father Tim fell in love with
her because of it, but when she understood the reality, she was hurt and angry.
She called him on the phone, they got into a huge fight, and he stopped writing
and calling. Their relationship was very cold for weeks, but she began to
relent of late and they had a reconciliation of sorts, at least to the point
where she would attend church.”

“I know
what happened at the store, Tasheka.”

Tasheka
scowled and narrowed her eyes. “She lashed out with one foolish comment. You
have to realize that after Dad’s death, she was on the verge of a nervous
breakdown.”

“She asked
a man on November the seventh if he was interested in killing the priest,”
Thorston returned. “That was not the wisest thing she’s ever done.”

“It was a
foolish comment made in an offhand way,” Tasheka shot back, “and no one took it
seriously.”

“McNab
sure takes it seriously.”

“Well,
he’s wasting his time if he’s targeting my mother, Detective Henry.” Tasheka
got up and quickly dressed. “My mother was angry, but then moved on with her
life. I suggest you do the same and start doing some real police work so you
can catch the killer, not harass innocent, middle-aged women.”

“Hold on,
hold on,” Thorston said, also getting dressed. “We don’t consider your mother a
major suspect in this at all, but we have a dead priest on our hands and every
lead has to be thoroughly checked. It’s our job, Tasheka. Your mother offered a
man fifty thousand dollars to kill him. Do I think she actually paid for the
killing? No. Does McNab think she did it? No, I don’t think he does. But, just
to tie any loose ends, where was your mother at nine-fifteen the evening of the
murder?”

“She was
home with me,” Tasheka said angrily.

“What were
you doing?”

“Why is
that relevant?”

“I’m
trying to establish a time line and definitively rule out your mother for any
future inquiries, but to do so, I have to know exactly where she was and what
she was doing at nine-fifteen the night of the murder.”

Tasheka
hesitated.

“Well?”
Thorston persisted. “What were you doing?”

“I went to
bed early,” Tasheka said, “because I had driven home from school and I was
exhausted.”

“What time
did you go to bed?”

“Eight-thirty.”

“And you
stayed there until morning?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re
not exactly sure what your mother was doing at nine-fifteen.”

“What she
was doing,” Tasheka said irritably, “was sitting at home minding her own
business. Really, Detective Henry, this is too much. How can you even consider
that my mother could have anything to do with a murder? A murder, for God’s
sake! She won’t kill a spider in the bathroom. She’ll catch it in tissue paper
and release it outside. How you could imagine, even in your wildest dreams,
that my mother could smash a man’s skull and then cut off his hand? That’s
ludicrous!”

“I’m not
making any accusations,” he assured her, looking a bit overwhelmed, “but I have
to do my job, Tasheka. Please understand that. I’m sure your mother was simply
watching television or reading. There’s no question in my mind. But McNab wants
information and I must give it to him.”

“Is there
any physical evidence linking her to the murder, detective?”

“No.”

“Good!”
Tasheka snapped sharply. “Case closed!”

“There’s
no physical evidence linking anyone to the murder…yet.”

“Oh, maybe
she hired someone. Is that it? What do you think, detective, did she put a
notice on Big Mike’s bulletin board looking for someone who needed a little
work? Maybe she hired a school boy who needs money for college. Maybe she got
me to make the payment.”

“Let me
say this again and, please, read my lips. I do not suspect your mother.”

“Good,”
Tasheka said, finally relenting with a firm cast to her features.

“We have
suspects in this case who are of extreme interest to us, and your mother is not
among them. All right? Are we clear on that?”

“I’ll tell
you what we’re clear on. If you don’t leave my mother out of this, Thorston, I
will never talk to you again.”

“The way
the community sees it,” he said, “is that Tim Murphy was devoting an inordinate
amount of time to your mother after your father’s death. She got used to it and
started to rely heavily on him, but he had a lot of responsibilities and
eventually withdrew his attention. In her weakened psychological state, she
interpreted this as a kind of betrayal and that’s why she made the offhand
comment about offering money to have him killed. We have interviewed a lot of
people and that’s the consensus of the community. She was hurt, she made a
foolish comment, but that was the end of it and she moved on. In time she
regained her equilibrium and everything returned to normal.”

Tasheka
screwed up her mouth. “But I was obviously angry with him about him stealing
her money. I’m sure McNab must have considered the possibility that I killed
Father Tim to avenge what he did to my mother.”

Thorston
popped some gum into his mouth. “I have a peculiar feeling about Tim Murphy’s
brother.”

Tasheka
was quiet for close to a minute. “Tell me more about him.”

“We just
found out something, you know.”

“What’s
that?”

“When the
younger Murphy brother, Kevin, was killed, it may not have been an accident.”

“What do
you mean?”

“Just before
they went for a drive, Tim told his twin that he had flushed several hundred
dollars worth of marijuana down the toilet. It was in the transcripts.
Apparently William was known for his terrible temper and told Tim he would get
him back. Tim Murphy had nothing of value, but he loved his little brother and
William knew it.”

“Does
William Murphy have a history of violence?” Tasheka asked.

Thorston
nodded strangely. “He has a long history of violence. Several times he went to
jail for assault. Apparently in jail he even assaulted two different pastors.”

“Pastors?”

“The
psychological report stated that he has a thing about religion in general. He
thinks they’re all out to control him like some kind of slave. There were
questions about his mental health, but not enough to commit him.”

“So what
was he doing in Lakeside? I can’t imagine Father Tim inviting him.”

“Was he
invited? That’s the question. You have to realize that at the trial Tim Murphy
testified against his brother and he was the prosecution’s main witness. Tim
wanted William locked up for murdering young Kevin. Though William Murphy
didn’t serve time, there was a lot of ill will. Criminals, if nothing else, are
the great blamers. They are never at fault. The fault always lies with someone
else. Their mothers, fathers, bosses, it doesn’t matter who. They always blame
someone other than themselves. According to the reports, Tim Murphy’s brother
was at the top of the class for assigning blame. To read his reflections, you
would have thought he was an angel beset upon by an army of evildoers. The
bottom line is that he blamed Tim Murphy for testifying against him and
apparently when he did go to prison for other crimes, he still blamed Tim for
‘ruining his life.’ He just got out before the murder took place. How they came
to be together in Lakeside, I have no idea. But we’re working on it.”