Damsel in Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 1) (19 page)

Good question. She rooted around in her psyche for a strong feeling one way or the other but couldn’t find one. Mostly she was plain confused.

“Right now, nothing. There are too many people that could have shot Roger. His brother, his sister-in-law, even his friend Brad. Could Wendell Barnes have done it? Yes, he gave off a slimy vibe that makes me want to take a shower but that doesn’t mean he’s a double murderer – triple if you count the attempt on Anita’s life. So I pretty much have no idea who killed Linda Barnes. Do you know?”

“No, and I wish I did. But my gut is telling me there’s still plenty we don’t know and that means we continue to dig for information.”

“Where to next?”

The only way to get her life back to normal was to solve this case. Failure? Not an option.

“We’re going to have lunch.” Jason swung out of the truck and came around to her side to help her down. “Did I mention that Gail was joining us?”

Just once she’d like to be one step ahead of Jason but it was proving impossible. He had some sort of law enforcement mojo that kept him moving forward, plowing through the evidence and uncovering truths.

“You know you didn’t.” He linked her arm with his and escorted her through the entrance. “I have to admit I’d like to meet her though. She did live in my house for twenty years. I wonder if she’d approve of the changes.”

His green eyes were twinkling as he waved to an older woman with silver hair and sensible shoes sitting in a booth about halfway down. “She probably would. Just a word about Gail before you meet her. She’s just as Barnes described her – blunt and honest. But what he didn’t say was she was a sweet woman who fully embraced life. I think she’s a real sweetheart.”

“She baked you cookies or something, didn’t she?” Brinley asked suspiciously when Jason slid his hand under her elbow to escort her to the table. “You’re a sucker for food.”

“Gail doesn’t bake cookies, I can assure you. She may not even know what the oven is for.”

That explained the pristine condition of the old-fashioned double oven that Brinley adored. It looked like it had barely been used.

The older woman stood and hugged Jason before being introduced to Brinley and shaking her hand. Gail’s eyes had lit up when Jason told her that Brinley was the new owner of the house. That had earned Brinley her own hug.

For a woman who had moved into an assisted living apartment Gail looked pretty spry. The hug hadn’t been some wimpy, weak thing. She still had some arm strength even at sixty-five. They slid into the booth across from Gail who was drinking an iced tea.

“I hope we haven’t kept you waiting. Actually we talked to your brother-in-law this morning.”

Jason ordered sodas for himself and Brinley. She flipped open the menu, keeping one eye on the woman who had lived in the house. She’d never met Gail and had only dealt with a broker for the transaction, but this vital woman didn’t look much like the house she’d left which had been a haven for cabbage rose wallpaper and chintz draperies.

Gail made a sour face. “Last time I talked to Dell was nineteen and a half years ago when I moved into their old home. He said the place had too many bad memories and he needed a new start.”

And then he recreated the entire thing right down to the woman by his side.

“He said you wouldn’t have much good to say about him,” Brinley responded. “Did you and he not get along?”

“Not in the least,” the older woman said bluntly. “He was a miserly, petty, vindictive son of a bitch then and I doubt he’s any better now. Richer than God but too cheap to spend a dime of it. He held onto his money with both fists unless it was for that son of his. And that boy was a narcissistic, whiny brat thanks to his father. I told Linda not to marry Dell but she was in love, and you can’t reason with that.”

“They argued?” Brinley asked, fascinated by the history of her home. “Did it ever get violent?”

Gail snorted as the waitress slid two sodas onto the table. “He didn’t have the guts. Never did.”

They quickly ordered and the waitress bustled to the next table. Jason leaned forward, his gaze intent on their guest.

“So you don’t think Wendell killed Gail?”

“As much as I didn’t like the selfish little weasel I don’t think he murdered her. He needed her to keep up the fiction of a happy family to the outside world.” Gail’s lips twisted in distaste. “My fear is that my sister’s own actions got her killed. You see, Linda was known to do stupid, harebrained things. God made her pretty but he didn’t make her smart.”

Brinley wasn’t sure how to take that statement. “I’m not sure what you mean, Mrs. Denton.”

“Call me Gail.” The woman waved her hand. “What I mean is that Linda had the looks but was dumb as a rock. Is that plain enough for you? She was my sister and I loved her, but I was not unaware of her shortcomings and I’m sure she could have cataloged all of mine as well. Linda lacked common sense and often had to be rescued from situations. That’s how she met Wendell. Do you have family like that?”

A picture of Dawn floated through Brinley’s mind but she dashed it away quickly. Dawn wasn’t stupid, just a trifle self-absorbed. Oblivious to what went on outside her bubble of a world. But she had a loving heart and cared about her family and friends even if she didn’t always notice what was going on in their lives.

“I’m afraid I don’t. What kind of situations are you talking about?”

“Men. Lots of them.” Gail took a sip of her iced tea and then slapped down the glass. “Linda was constantly leading men on and then shocked when they expected something. I imagine that’s what ended her life.”

“A disgruntled suitor?” Jason queried. “Did you tell the police this?”

Gail rolled her eyes. “Yes, but they were only interested in Wendell.”

It was a telling point that despite Gail’s animosity toward her ex-brother-in-law that she didn’t think him capable of murder.

“Do you have any names?” Jason reached into his breast pocket for his small notebook and pencil but Gail was shaking her head. “I’m afraid not. At that point we weren’t spending much time together since I didn’t get along with Dell.”

More hopes dashed away. Jason was right when he said they’d take two steps forward and one step back constantly during an investigation. Being a cop had to be full of frustration.

“But he gave you the house,” Brinley pointed out. “If you two didn’t like each other why would he do that?”

“I was in the process of divorcing my second husband and I think Dell was afraid I’d try and claim some of Linda’s property. She wasn’t destitute when she met Dell and she had jewelry and money of her own. He wanted to keep it and I needed a place to live so he offered me the house. I only took it to spite him but found that I liked living there. Until recently, of course. I hope you’re enjoying it.”

“It didn’t bother you that your sister had been murdered there?” Brinley asked. No one on the planet could convince her to live in a house where her sister had been shot and killed.

“No, but I’m a practical person who needed a place to live. I concentrated on making it my own rather than thinking about how Linda had lived and died there. Are you making changes to the house? I expect you want to update it quite a bit.”

Oh yes.

“I’ve pulled down all the wallpaper and tore up the carpeting. I finished painting the walls and the cabinets last week. Next are new floors. I’m hoping I can get away with just refinishing them but I think some spots are going to need to be replaced.” Brinley bit her lip in worry. “Does it bother you to hear about changes being made in your home?”

“As I said I’m not that sentimental.” Gail shook her head and reached across the table to pat Brinley’s hand. “Not to worry, dear. It’s your home now and you should do whatever you wish. I’m just sorry we didn’t meet before, but then the real estate agent handled the sale for me.”

“Me too.”

Although Brinley didn’t completely understand the older woman she did like her. Her blunt, no nonsense attitude was a nice change from so many people that Brinley had met in her life.

“I have one more question, Gail, if you don’t mind. Did you ever suspect Wendell of cheating?” Jason asked. “Specifically, was there a woman named Lynn? Someone who looked very much like Linda?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“When we talked to Wendell we found he had remarried. The woman’s name was Lynn and she could have been Linda’s sister. The house also looked exactly the same,” Brinley explained, glancing at Jason.

Gail was frowning, her brow scrunched in thought. “I’m not surprised he remarried, if only for the sake of the boy. As for things looking exactly the same, well, Dell was always an odd bird. But you don’t understand things if you think he was trying to recreate his life with Linda. He didn’t love her like that. He married my sister because she looked like his first wife, Donna. But of course Linda wasn’t and he never forgave her for that.”

One more reason for Wendell Barnes to be guilty as hell.

‡

“S
o you think
Barnes did it?” Logan asked when they were all together again that evening. Brinley and Jason had picked up pizza on the way home and they were all sharing what they’d learned that day while relaxing at Jason’s dinner table.

“His alibi sucks,” Jason said bluntly. “If he resented Linda for not being his first wife and their marital problems were real then he has the most motive.”

Brinley slid another slice onto her plate. “What about Linda’s boyfriends? Gail said that her sister was always leading men on. I can see where that would piss someone off.”

“Enough to kill?” Jason rubbed his chin. “I’m not sure about that. Besides, there’s nothing in the police file about any boyfriend and they talked to all the couple’s friends. Surely a girlfriend would have said something.”

Logan grinned and popped open a soda can. “I’m with Jason on this one. But then I’ve seen what Jared emailed over earlier today.”

“You better have the evidence to back up that look,” Jason warned, shaking a slice at Logan. “What did he send over?”

Logan reached behind him and dropped a file in the middle of the table. “Fascinating reading. Take a look at the photos of wife number one and two. They could be twins.”

Jason flipped open the folder and placed it between himself and Brinley. He wiped his hands on a napkin before piecing through the file. Near the top was a family photo of Wendell, his first wife, and their young son Damian who at the time was probably eight or nine years old. The smiles on their faces looked genuine but Jason knew from his law enforcement days that it could all be an elaborate facade. Underneath could have been rotten to the core.

Brinley pointed to the son. “Poor little guy. I bet the kids were really mean to him. I see that every day at school.”

Wendell’s son appeared to be the stereotypical geek. Thin and small, the blond haired tyke wore thick black-framed glasses along with a plaid vest and a bow tie. If any of his friends saw him in that outfit there was no way the little boy wasn’t going to be teased about it. Add in the fact Damian looked scrawny and small for his age and Jason felt for the kid. He’d probably had a terrible time with bullies.

“Did Jared have any luck finding Damian? I texted him the phone number that Barnes gave me.” Jason paged through the file to see if there were any later photos of the family but came up empty. “I would very much like to talk to the son.”

Logan shook his head. “He got the secretary so he left a message. Then he hunted down the house phone number and left a message there. Hopefully this Damian Barnes will call back tonight or tomorrow.”

“Here’s the pictures side by side.” Brinley set the photo of Linda next to the family photo. “They do look creepily alike.”

“It’s not uncommon for a man to have a type.” Logan tapped on the picture. “Some men only like blondes. Some only like redheads. I’m not sure you can call a man guilty because he keeps marrying women who look like each other. Now the house thing, that is strange. I don’t know any man who ever gave a shit how his home was decorated. When Ava moved in she put up valances. Hell, I didn’t even know what they were. They look nice and all but I could have gone my entire life never having them. Most men feel the same.”

Brinley’s gaze flickered to Jason’s back window and smirked. He had blinds on every window but the only drapes were in the bedroom where he wanted it dark in case he needed to sleep during the day.

“That’s not the most interesting thing though.” Logan shuffled the papers and pulled out one. “The financial stuff is what got to me. Wendell Barnes raked in some big bucks when Linda died. He had her insured for two hundred thousand.”

For the first time that day Jason felt like there was light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. “Finally a goddamn motive that makes sense. How did the police not know this? This wasn’t in the case file.”

“I can answer that.” West stood in the doorway, looking tired and pissed off. “I just went three rounds with the mayor. I asked him about that day that he argued with Barnes. Turns out Barnes had lost a bet to Cavendish and didn’t want to pay up.”

“That doesn’t answer why it wasn’t in the police file.” Brinley stood and retrieved another plate from the cabinet along with a can of soda from the refrigerator. “Have a seat. There’s plenty of pizza and breadsticks.”

“And I can answer that.” Jason scooted his chair over to make room for West. “Canvendish and Barnes were pretty big deals in this town and had a lot of friends. They could make sure nothing appeared in the official file.”

“Small town hide and seek.” Logan smiled but it was more grim than happy. “I know it well. You should have seen the mess I inherited when I became sheriff.”

“That’s Cavendish’s legacy.” West slapped down the can so hard soda flew from the top and landed on his hand and the table. “Corruption and back room deals. We need someone to come in and clean up this town.”

West reached behind and grabbed a towel from the kitchen counter to mop up the mess he’d made. Jason was grinning from ear to ear and Brinley didn’t have a clue as to why he was so darn happy. This entire case was a mess.