Middle River Murders (20 page)

“The medical examiner declared her death as accidental. She
died from E. coli bacteria from eating raw hamburger. They found it in her
stomach contents,” I said. “Your mushrooms didn’t kill her.”

“But I thought they did,” Daisy said. “I actually felt
euphoric at the idea that I could get away with what I did. Then reality set in
and I realized it was wrong of me. After I thought about it for a while, I felt
sick to my stomach. How could I do something so horrible? God will never
forgive me. I will never forgive myself.”

“What you did wasn’t very nice, but the point is that you
didn’t intend to kill her,” Billy said. “Fortunately, she didn’t die because of
your antics. I hope you learned a lesson.”

“Oh, I did,” Daisy said. “If I get out of this mess, I’ll
never pull a stunt like that again. And I’m sorry I came to your house in a
fit. I was so angry when I found out that Minnie killed my brother. I wanted to
confront her, but on the drive over, I kept asking myself why my brother would
break into her house. Then I realized that Minnie had been my friend and was
only protecting herself. My brother was the one at fault. I know that now.”

“What about Alice and Harriett? What do you know about their
deaths? And where’s June Robinson? She’s missing. Why did your brother come
after us? Who shot Jonathan?”

“I don’t have an answer for you. All I can say is that I
didn’t kill anyone.”

“You keep saying that, but all the roads lead to your
doorstep. You admit to serving mushrooms to Pat, thinking they were going to
make her go wild. If you would do that, then why would you stop short of
murder?”

“Because I’m not a killer.”

The room was silent for a minute.

I thought about what she said and it seemed to make sense.
Daisy was capable of misbehaving, but I no longer thought she was actually
capable of murder.

“Let’s take this one step at a time,” I said. “Where were you
when Jonathan was shot?”

“Who is Jonathan?”

“Oh, don’t try to play me for a fool, Daisy. You know who he
is.”

“No, I don’t. Who is Jonathan?”

Billy and I looked at each other.

“Are you saying you didn’t know that Jonathan is my brother?”
he asked her.

“Oh, my! No, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. Is he okay?”

“Are you serious?” I asked.

She looked back and forth at us. “I swear that I didn’t shoot
your brother. I’ve never fired a gun until last night, and that was by
accident.”

“Where were you on August the twenty-seventh?”

She looked at Gabe and then back to us. “We were in
Smithfield
that day. It was our grandson’s
birthday. We stayed overnight and came home the next day. You can call my
daughter and ask her.”

“What kind of gun do you own, Gabe?”

“I have—had a .38 Smith and Wesson. The cops have it now. Oh,
and I have a shotgun.”

“I guess that’s easy enough to check.” I looked at Billy. “We
can access…”

“We can verify that,” Billy interrupted me. He gave me
another one of his looks.

“An eyewitness said she saw you run Alice Atkins off the
road. She recognized your car.”

“I can assure you that if I ran
Alice
off the road with my car, there would be damage to
it. My car is in fine shape.”

“That’s not quite true,” Gabe said. “I noticed a dent in the
front bumper and your right headlight is cracked. I meant to ask you about
that.” He stepped back and gave her an odd look.

“Gabe, I haven’t driven that car since we got back from
Smithfield
. The only time it’s been out of the
garage is when I drove it to their house last night. Remember, we’ve been
driving your car because you said mine needed an oil change.”

“That’s right,” Gabe replied. “I meant to change the oil, but
haven’t had time.”

Daisy creased her eyebrows and then looked out the window.
When she looked back at us, she had a look of shock on her face.

“I spent a couple of days looking for my car keys. I thought
I was losing my mind, until Gabe finally found them in the ignition of my car.
With the keys in the ignition, anyone could’ve driven my car while we were
gone.”

The expression on her face was a dead giveaway. She was
telling the truth. Now we needed to find out where she was at the time of the
other deaths.

“Harriett Shifflett died from arsenic poisoning. At first the
M.E. thought she might’ve died from a blow to the head, but during the autopsy
he discovered a lethal dose of arsenic in her system. She lay unconscious for so
long, it gave the poison enough time to do its job. She died on Saturday, the
tenth of September.”

“We flew to
New
York
that weekend,”
Gabe said. “We went to a Ground Zero prayer at my sister’s house. My oldest
brother died when the towers came down.”

“It was so sad to remember, but we just can’t forget,” Daisy
added.

“That’s right,” Gabe said. “We have to keep the memory alive
and never forget that terrorism isn’t just a problem for other countries; it’s
a real threat for
America
. The
United States
has to remember...” His voice trailed off, but his pain was
still there and very much real.

The tide was beginning to turn. The emotion in the voices of
two people who had suffered so much was proof enough for me. There was no way a
person would lie about something so tragic. Daisy had an alibi for the night
Jonathan was shot and for the day Harriett died, and she swore she left her
keys in the car—which made it possible for someone to take her car in her
absence. The only one left to be accounted for was June Robinson—who
disappeared and has yet to be found.

“June Robinson hasn’t been seen for several days.”

“So I heard. She’s a strange person,” Daisy said. “Don’t get
me wrong, I like her, but she’s always out on her balcony looking at me through
those binoculars. I told her it bothered me, but she said she was just looking
at the scenery. I let it pass. She’s been so lonely since her husband passed
away. Now if anybody would see anything out of the ordinary, she would be the
one. She always…”

“She’s the eyewitness who said she saw you run
Alice
off the road.”

“I don’t believe it!”

“It’s true,” Billy said, supporting my accusation.

“That can’t be true,” Daisy surmised. “She might have seen my
car run
Alice
off the road, but it wasn’t me who
was doing the driving. That’s probably where the damage to my car came from. It
was a setup. Someone used my car to kill poor
Alice
. Alice and I had become friends.”

“
Alice
thought you killed her friend, Pat.
That’s why she joined your silly club. She was trying to dig up evidence on
you. She said Pat no longer trusted you. Pat told
Alice
that you had turned on her. She said you were out for
blood.”

“No!”

“Yes!” I said, loudly. “She was certain you killed Pat and
she wanted to see you behind bars. She was talking to Billy on the phone when
she was run off the road.”

“Jesse’s telling the truth,” Billy said. “
Alice
pretended to be your friend, but she wasn’t. She told
me that you were a killer and she was determined to prove it. That’s why she
hired me.”

“I can’t believe it!” Daisy said. “I thought she was my
friend. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

“She wanted me to see to it that Pat’s death didn’t go
unpunished,” Billy said. “Unfortunately, she died before she had a chance to
get her answers. If she had lived, she would’ve found out for sure that Pat
wasn’t murdered.”

Daisy began to cry again. “Why do people do this to me? I
can’t trust anyone. Now I realize the only friend I have is Gabe.”

“That’s not true, Daisy,” I said, reluctantly. “My mom is
your friend. She thinks you’re innocent… at least, she does now.”

“I am innocent and I can prove it! I have an alibi! I told
you where I was when those women died.”

“You haven’t told us where you were at the time of June
Robinson’s disappearance.”

“When did she go missing?”

“Three days ago.”

She looked at Gabe and then back to us. “That would’ve been
Tuesday.” She smiled and seemed to relax a bit. “Gabe and I took a drive on the
Skyline Drive
that day, didn’t we, Gabe? We were
gone all day long. We went on the drive and then on the way home we went to
Ruckersville and had dinner at the Blue Ridge Café. We both just love that
restaurant.”

“We most certainly did!” He looked at Daisy and then bent
down and kissed her forehead. He looked back at us. “I still have the ticket
from the drive. They give you a brochure with your ticket and I put it in the
glove box when we left the drive. And we paid for our dinner at the restaurant
with a credit card. So I guess that covers everything. Now you can stop
harassing my wife and let the police do their job. You can leave now. Your job
here is finished.”

Billy and I were about to leave when my cell phone rang.

“You have to turn that thing off,” a nurse said as she walked
into the room. “We don’t allow them in the hospital, so please turn it off now!
It’s the rule!”

She was so persistent, I turned the phone off, but not before
I had a chance to look at Caller ID. The call was coming from our house.

Billy and I turned to leave and as we walked out of the room,
Gabe came up behind us and followed us out into the corridor. He obviously had
more to say before we left.

“I know you’re only doing what you were hired to do, but I
can assure you that you’re wasting your time on Daisy. She didn’t kill anyone.
She’s not capable of hurting a soul. She freaks out at the sight of a dead
animal in the road. She can’t even watch those crime scene shows on television.
It almost makes her sick to her stomach. When she saw her brother hanging from
a ceiling beam it almost destroyed her. She spent two months in the psychiatric
ward. She was catatonic the first three weeks. When Pat died, I thought for
sure she was going to relapse, but she didn’t. When her brother was killed, she
had to be heavily sedated. She’ll be on anti-depressants for a long time. I
worry about her well-being. So much has happened to her in the last few
months.”

“I just find it odd that members of her little club are dying
off left and right,” I said. “Don’t you find it strange?”

“I sure do. It worries me that she might be the next victim.
Have you considered the possibility that someone other than Daisy is the
killer? I know you think she’s guilty, but she isn’t. Perhaps you should turn
your attention elsewhere. Go find the real killer. Please, for everyone’s
sake.”

“
Alice
hired us to prove that Daisy killed
her friend. She was so certain,” Billy said. “Now
Alice
is dead and we’re hunting for her killer. You say
someone else drove your wife’s car that day. Whoever drove that car is most
likely responsible for the other deaths. All we need to do is find a link.”

“We know that Pat’s death was accidental, but
Alice
and Harriett’s deaths weren’t. And now, June
Robinson, a key witness is missing. Is it possible that whoever is responsible
has something to do with
Kansas
breaking into my mother’s house?”

“What does one have to do with the other?” Gabe asked.

“I don’t know, but I get this feeling there’s a connection.
If Daisy is innocent then someone is trying to frame her.”

“Daisy admitted to her little fiasco with the mushrooms,”
Billy said. “Did she tell anyone about her stunt?”

“I wouldn’t think so,” Gabe replied. “She was embarrassed at
even harboring those kinds of thoughts. She just got around to telling me about
it. Needless to say, I was shocked. I know people can be led astray by power,
and believe me, Daisy said she felt a power she’d never experienced. She was
overwhelmed by this feeling. But when it came right down to it, the feeling
didn’t last and a serial killer was not born.”

“It could’ve easily happened,” I added. “Power is addictive.
It consumes you and can make a person do something they wouldn’t normally do.”

Billy was taking all this in and from the look on his face, I
could tell that he no longer thought Daisy was the killer either. I think I
lost any notion of that probability when that gun of hers kept talking to me.

“If she told one of her friends about her antics, maybe her
confession planted a seed,” Billy suggested. “That’s been known to happen.
Copycat killers spring up everyday. Your wife may have given someone else the
idea.”

“Is there any one particular member of the club who might be
a clinger?” I asked.

“What do you mean a clinger?”

“Does Daisy have a friend who seems to be by her side all the
time when they’re together? Like someone who changes the way she dresses and acts,
so that she can be more like Daisy?”

Gabe crossed his arms and put his hand to his face as if he
was deep in thought. His eyebrows formed a crease.

“A certain type of woman, especially one who is lonely, may
form an attachment to another and then start to mimic her newfound friend’s
behavior and appearances,” I continued. “It doesn’t take long after the
friendship begins for the one who is trying to be like the other to get
frustrated and do something irrational.”

“Like what?” Gabe asked with concern in his voice.

“When she learns that no matter what she does, she can’t be
exactly like the person she’s infatuated with, she might become irritated. That
irritation might turn into hostility and hostility then turns into rage. In the
end, she will use that rage on the one person she most wanted to be like in the
first place.”

“I bet that could be dangerous.”

“You can bet on it. I think they call it misplaced
infatuation or something like that. It’s been a long time since I took
psychology. However, I found the course quite interesting. It’s amazing what
goes on in the human mind. Trying to interpret personalities is baffling. I’m
really fascinated at what makes a person turn into a serial killer.”

Billy looked at me as if I had gone off in a tangent.

I had. All the things I thought Daisy had done were now
tossed out the window. This left me confused. If Daisy is innocent, then who’s
guilty?

“There is this one woman in the group,” Gabe said. “Her name
is Irene Moss. I tell you, this woman is a real character. There aren’t many
people I can’t get along with, but she’s different. From the very beginning,
she treated me as if I was in her way. Every time I’d walk into the room, she’d
say something to make me feel as if I were intruding. She wanted me to know that
this was their night and I wasn’t invited. She made that perfectly clear. Her
resentment of me was obvious. She didn’t want me around. When those silly women
met at my house, I tried to make myself scarce, but sometimes it couldn’t be
helped. One time I had to go to the kitchen to get my keys, and Irene got real
upset. She gave me an evil look and when I left she told Daisy that she thought
it was rude of me to interrupt their meeting.”

“What did Daisy say about that?”

“She told Irene to cool it. They were supposed to have fun,
not get together and whine.”

“I bet she didn’t like that.”

“No, she didn’t. She got angry and left. She didn’t come to
another meeting for two months. Finally, Daisy had to call and apologize.”

“Why did she have to apologize?”

“She didn’t want to hurt Irene’s feelings. She thought Irene
was being silly about the whole thing, but decided to give in and try to make
amends. That’s the kind of woman Daisy is. She’ll say she’s sorry when she’s
not in the wrong if that’s what it takes to avoid a rift and mend a friendship.
She doesn’t like confrontations or arguments. Daisy likes things simple and
easygoing.”

“We’re going to work up a list of all the women in the
group,” Billy said. “I would appreciate it if you’d help us compile that list.
We’ll need names, addresses and phone numbers. A brief bio would help—just to
give us some personal insight on each woman.”

“Of course,” Gabe said. “I’ll get on it as soon as I can.”

“Gabe!” Daisy called from inside the room. “Aren’t you
finished? I need you.”

“I’m coming,” he called back to her. “I’d better get back in
there before Daisy blows her stack. When I get home tonight I’ll get that list
together for you. Do you have a fax machine?”

“Yes,” Billy said as he reached into his back pocket and
withdrew his wallet. He retrieved one of his business cards and handed it to
Gabe. “My home fax number is right here.” He pointed to a spot on the card.
“You can reach me at one of these numbers pretty much anytime of the day or
night.”

As we turned and began to walk in the direction of the
elevator, Gabe joined us and continued to talk.

“Thanks,” Gabe said. “I’m glad you’ve come over to our side.
We need all the help we can get. The police have hounded us so much I’m about
ready to explode. With all that’s happened I don’t know how much more Daisy can
take. She’s not a spring chicken anymore. I don’t know how things are going to
turn out with her foot. She might need more surgery. I just hope she’s not
going to be disabled. That would drive her insane.”

“We’re not on your side, just yet,” I said. “We’ll have to
check out Daisy’s story. Not that I don’t believe you, but I’d like to see that
ticket stub from
Skyline
Drive
and a copy of
your airline stub. Perhaps you can fax that to us as well. If what you say is
true and you can provide us with those receipts, then I’ll believe your story.
No offense, but even the police require proof.”

“I understand your position,” Gabe replied. “You don’t know
us very well, so I can see why you’d insist on proof. I’ll fax everything to
you tonight. It might be late. I hope that’s all right.”

“That will be fine, Gabe,” Billy said. He held out his hand.

Gabe took his hand and shook it. He turned and looked at me.
“I like your spunk, Jesse. As soon as I can get that information to you, I’m
sure your opinion of us will change, and I’d rather have you on our side than
against us. I remember hearing your mom tell the ladies that she could always
count on you to get to the truth. She said you have no fear.”

“I don’t know if that last part is true, but she’s right
about getting to the truth. When something gets stuck in my craw, I can’t seem
to let go until I get it out… if you know what I mean.”

We talked for several more minutes before Gabe turned to
leave.

“I’m sure we’ll be talking again,” Gabe said. “One last
thing—I’m glad you came here today. Even if you’re uncertain about us, I think
we can change your opinion. We’re going to need all the help we can get to get
through this. Who knows, we might turn out to be good friends in the end.”

Gabe walked back down the hall and then disappeared into
Daisy’s hospital room as we stepped into the elevator.

“I don’t think I’ll go as far as to say we could become good
friends with these people, but I do like Gabe. I think he’s a good man and I
believe he believes his wife. The fact that her brother tried to kill my mother
will never sit well with me.”

Billy pressed the button for the ground floor.

“Do you think Daisy is innocent?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Do you believe her story?”

“I’m just beginning to see a different side to this tale. I
think Daisy did something foolish, told someone about it, and from there
everything spiraled out of control. I think it’s a possibility that someone
used
Kansas
to further his or her cause.
Kansas
was mentally off key and was a good
target for someone who needed help to pull this off.
Kansas
would be the fall guy, and in the
process, it would lend credence to a conviction against Daisy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you see, Jesse? If someone’s trying to lay the blame for
the death of those women at Daisy’s feet, why not persuade her brother to get
involved. He probably had no idea what he was doing. Suppose someone told
Kansas
that your mother was trying to hurt
his sister and that he had to stop her. From what I gather, it wouldn’t be very
hard to convince him. His mentality was like that of a child. He suffered brain
damage from a suicide attempt.”

“He tried to kill himself over a woman. We didn’t explore
that situation with Daisy. We know his girlfriend drowned in a boating
accident, but we don’t know all the details. Maybe we should go back and talk
to her about it.”

“I think we’ve pushed her far enough for one day. Let’s give
her a little breathing room.”

“Okay, but tonight let’s give Gabe a call and see what he has
to say about the woman in the photo.”

We walked out of the elevator and were walking down the hall
when I got a glimpse of a familiar face across the lobby. I couldn’t place the
face and when I looked back, the woman was nowhere in sight. I stopped and looked
around.

“What’s the matter,” Billy asked.

“I just saw someone. I don’t know who it was, but I’m sure I
know that face. I have that gut feeling thing going on.”

“I’m always running into people I can’t place. I either can’t
remember their name, or they can’t remember mine. It happens often.”

“But this was different. I felt like she was watching me…
like she was standing there just waiting for me. Now that was an eerie feeling.
Let’s get out of here. I’m starting to get paranoid.”

“You have every right to be. After the trauma you suffered at
the hands of Kansas Moon, I’m surprised you’re not on anti-depressants.”

“Been there…done that.”

“Yes, I remember,” Billy said. “I hope that being my wife has
helped relieve some of those old anxieties.”

“Yes, it has.”

I kissed Billy right there in the middle of the lobby. I
didn’t care who was watching. If some weirdo was out there following me, maybe
she’d get an eyeful. I hope it made her jealous. Wait… no, I don’t. I don’t
want some crazy nut case coming after me. I have enough of those chasing me in
my dreams. I guess that comes with the territory. When you snoop around for a
living you make a few enemies. People just don’t like having their privacy
invaded. And that’s what a private investigator does. We creep around in the
darkness and spy on people. I guess we’re no better than a peeping Tom, except
we do it for a living and not because we get some sick pleasure out of it.