Framed to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 4) (12 page)

“You were being kind to a homeless woman,” I said.

“It probably won’t matter. Dawn doesn’t want to repay our kindness by getting us in trouble,” Nancy said.

“We know,” Cheryl said. “That’s why we want to help.”

“But we’re talking about a murder charge,” I said.

“That’s also why I came.” Tears filled Nancy’s eyes. “She shouldn’t have to suffer because of what her husband has done.”

“Has done?” The delicious lunch soured in my stomach.

Nancy glanced down at the table, running her finger through a spot of condensation that dripped from the water bottle. “Chad used to come by and talk to Lucy, Dawn’s mom, for hours. She adored the man. I overheard him telling Lucy things were turning around. He found a way out of his and Dawn’s money troubles. Soon he was going to have enough cash to take care of her and her daughter like queens. Her mother is non-verbal, so he had no worries she’d tell anyone what he said.”

“Do you think he meant he was selling Janie?”

“I do now,” Nancy said.

“Have you told anyone else your suspicion?”

“Dawn. You. Your grandmothers.” There was a long pause before Nancy added another name. “And Coach Rutherford. I figured if anyone could stop Chad from selling drugs to the kids, it was the coach, so I told him.”

TWELVE

I turned down the street leading to Ted’s house, crafting the introduction to our conversation. The police were left off of Nancy’s people-in-the-know list, and I insisted they be added. I was elected for the role. I hoped I got through my whole spiel before Ted threw me out or arrested me.

Ted lived in a nice subdivision close to the south side of town. The street was quiet for a late Sunday afternoon. Two teenagers played basketball in a driveway; otherwise the neighborhood was empty.

Ted’s house was a single-family home tucked into the corner on the cul-de-sac. It was a charming house build in the 1920s. The porch had recently been updated with a fresh coat of paint, and a bucket of tar was by the garage door. The driveway must be the next item on Ted’s home improvement list.

I parked, took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out, repeating the process while I waited for my nerves to settle down. Nope. My hands still shook and the smell of the pie, a peace offering my grandmothers contributed, was more an annoyance than a comfort. I wasn’t confident about Ted having a pleasant reaction to my impromptu visit.

The front door opened and Ted stepped out barefooted, wearing faded jeans and a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. I’d interrupted him during a game. Hopefully he wasn’t an avid football watcher. I rolled down the window as Ted walked over. “Hi.”

Ted propped his arms on the window ledge. “Well, what do you know? There is some chick parked in my driveway.”

“It’s unusual for you to have a woman visitor?”

Ted raised a hand. “Thanks, dude.”

A teen dribbled a basketball by us and lifted his chin in greeting. “Thought you’d like to know. Lot of crazies been coming by.”

Ted snorted. “Little does he know.”

“You think I’m crazy?” Temper. Don’t ruin your mission before you even get out of the car.

“More like aggravating, which drives me crazy.” Ted opened my car door. “Let’s get this over with.”

“What over with?” It was a habit for me to explain away what I was doing. It was the one constant in our relationship, besides his flirting and subtly, and sometimes not so subtly, mentioning more developing between us. That seemed to have disappeared from our relationship lately, and I was growing concerned. Why had it changed? Was it because of the favoritism talk surrounding me? Or had Ted got tired of waiting for me?

“Whatever you came to talk to me about. I doubt this is a social call.”

“It could be. I brought pie.” I reached for the container on the floor in front of the passenger seat.

“But it’s not.” Ted held out his hands. “I’ll take the pie. I might as well get something positive from this visit.”

I handed him the token for future forgiveness and followed him into his house.

Ted’s living room was decorated in a tasteful and sparse manner. There were two leather recliners with a small table separating them, and an area rug in maroon, gold, and burnt orange warmed up the laminate wood floor. A fireplace was on the main wall, a flat screen television hung above it. The art on the walls were pictures done by his daughter, showing the progression of her style as each picture had the grade she’d completed the project in the right-hand corner.

My gaze rested on a large terrarium. An empty large terrarium. I moved behind Ted, grabbing his waist, as I scanned the floor for any slithering going on. “What belongs in there?”

“Twinkle, my lizard.” Ted pried off my grasp.

“Okay.” My disposition brightened. Lizards I could handle, snakes not so much.

“Want to tell me why you stopped by?” Ted plopped onto a recliner and snagged the remote, turning down the volume on the television.

I shifted from foot to foot, not knowing if it was okay for me to take a seat or if I should wait for the invitation.

“Can you get on with it? I’m missing the game.” He aimed the remote at the television. “It’s a close one, and I’d like to watch it.”

“I’m glad you’re planning on being a gentleman.” I waited for Ted to ask me to sit down. For some reason, it became important that Ted ask me, and the only thing I chalked it up to was I wanted him to want me there.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Ted’s eyes were on the television.

Usually, Ted would’ve followed up that question by hinting that him not being a gentleman could be more fun for us, so either he was really into the game, or the feelings he’d had for me evaporated. Maybe once there was no competition for me, Ted decided I wasn’t worth it.

I dropped into the other recliner. “You might want to turn that off. This is important.”

“With you being involved, I know I’ll need the distraction.” Ted settled into the recliner and turned his head to look at me.

“What does that mean?” I kind of hoped Ted had a bordering-on-inappropriate comment for me.

“It means I’m sure what you’re going to reveal to me will irritate me. It’s best for my temper if I have something to divert my attention.”

“I don’t even know why I came.” I crossed my arms. “All I wanted to do was help you.”

“No doubt.” Ted leaned forward, eyes wide. With a disappointed moan, he collapsed backwards. “I thought he had that ball.”

“The Carrs’ home was foreclosed on. That’s why Chad was living at the store. Dawn didn’t throw him out. She was staying at the assisted living center when Chad died, so she has an alibi. She didn’t burn down the building to kill him. The large life insurance policy recently taken out on him is a coincidence.”

Ted paused the game. “Who told you this?”

At least now I had his undivided attention, though with the anger making his green eyes blaze, I wished I didn’t. I gave him Nancy’s name, then filled him in about Coach Rutherford.

He rubbed his eyes. “Contrary to your belief, I don’t need outside help on this case.”

“You needed a little. Neither Nancy nor Dawn planned on coming to you.”

“Then Dawn could’ve sat in jail and faced a murder charge. That wouldn’t have been my problem. How about we watch the game and have some pie?” Ted held the remote out and pressed a button. “I’m advising you to stay out of this matter. If it weren’t for this game, I’d be hauling you in for questioning.”

“On what grounds?”

“You were at Made With Love when the fire happened, not to mention you were photographed holding the synthetic marijuana, and you were at a football game, an activity you never attended before, the very night the team decided to hold a celebration after a win. Something they had never done before. Should I go on?”

“You sound like Officer Mitchell.” I slunk down in the chair.

He froze the game with the quarterback in mid-throw. “What did Officer Mitchell say to you?”

I told Ted about the Saturday visit from the officer and how he pretty much parroted Ted’s list of my sinister behavior. “If Steve wasn’t there, I’m sure Mitchell would’ve barged upstairs to search my office.”

“Steve was over when Mitchell arrived? I’m surprised he didn’t shut the officer down immediately.”

“No. He arrived later. We had dinner plans.”

“I see.” Ted resumed the game.

I sat quietly and watched the game, or at least tried, as I had no idea what was happening on the field. “I’m going home.”

“Suit yourself,” Ted said, gaze remaining on the screen.

“I will.”

Ted’s cell made an awful noise. He snatched it up and turned off the television. “Detective Roget.” His face reddened, then whitened. “On the way.”

Ted opened a drawer in the table between the recliners. He took out a shoulder holster and secured his service weapon into the holster.

Fear gripped hold of me.

“Jasper was injured.” Ted grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the door. “I need you to go to the hospital. His grandmother should have someone with her, and I doubt Jasper’s parents are going to make the trip from North Carolina.”

“What happened?”

“Karen was interviewing some of the teens, and some parents found out and went after her. Jasper defended her and was beaten.”

THIRTEEN

The emergency room doors swished open, and a small shiver ran down my back. The last time I was in a hospital, I’d taken a bullet meant for Steve. I pushed away the bad memories, having spent way too much of my life focused on the painful moments in my past. Gwendolyn needed me now, and I was there for her.

“He’s my baby. My grandson.” Gwendolyn, wearing mismatched slippers, a duck and a rabbit, stood in front of the nurse’s station. She sniffled and raised a balled tissue to her face, dabbing her cheeks with it.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” The nurse’s voice was filled with sympathetic understanding. “We can’t let anyone back there. The doctor should be out shortly.”

“I want to be with him. He’s a police officer.” Tears ran down Gwendolyn’s face.

I draped an arm around her shaking shoulders.

Sirens screamed. Red lights ricocheted around the room. The unloading zone in front of the emergency room was lined with police cars. Gwendolyn’s trembling increased. I tightened my hold on her, watching and praying that there were no other injured officers being brought to the hospital.

Ted jumped out of a cruiser, yanked open the passenger door, and hauled out Coach Rutherford. Chief Moore clambered out of another cruiser and repeated the process for the passenger seated behind him: Andrew Taylor, the fire chief’s son-in-law, former volunteer fireman, and the man hiding in the woods talking to Whitney before Made With Love went up in flames.

“They hurt my Conroy.” Gwendolyn tightened her fists and moved away from me.

“Mrs. Jasper, I wouldn’t say anything to them.” I tugged her back to my side.

“That’s the problem with this town. No one wants to say anything to Darrel Rutherford.”

The doors whooshed open. Ted brought the coach inside, one hand on the man’s handcuffed wrists, the other on his shoulder. Coach Rutherford struggled against the grip. His face was bruised in various shades of purple and he yelled obscenities at Ted.

“I was helping that woman and your officer,” Coach Rutherford added to the end of the trail of colorful words he had shouted.

A more docile Andrew allowed Chief Moore to lead him into the emergency room. Blood dripped from a gash on Andrew’s forehead and he avoided looking at his partner in crime.

Gwendolyn slipped away from me and strode forward. Before Ted had a chance to move the coach out of reach, she slapped Rutherford across the face. “How dare you!”

Rutherford twisted his body, trying to look at Ted. “You going to let the old lady get away with that?”

“With what?” Ted asked. “I was busy checking my phone for an update on Officer Jasper. I didn’t see anything.”

“I did nothing wrong,” Rutherford said.

“You’re a liar. Everything you do, those young men do.” Gwendolyn waggled her finger at him. “Those boys practically worship you, and you use that for evil. Have them vandalize the town. Assault an officer.”

“I did no such thing. I went to help your grandson. He should’ve known better than to go question those kids without their parents present.”

“Known better?” I moved Gwendolyn away from the coach before she took another swing. “His job is to protect the citizens in this town and investigate crimes.”

“He was on leave,” Rutherford said. “He had no business being there with Karen England. That woman is nothing but a crap-stirrer.”

“He’s still a cop,” I said. “As much as you and others in Eden want to deny it, the team built those bonfires. They hold some responsibility.”

“I made sure they were put out,” Rutherford said.

“You didn’t do a very good job of it,” I said.

“Enough, Faith.” Ted pointed at a row of chairs against the wall. “Go have a seat.”

“If you want to hit someone, hit him.” Rutherford used his chin to point at Taylor. “He’s the one who set everyone onto your grandson.”

Andrew’s eyes widened. “But I went there because you called me.”

“Shut up, Taylor.” Rutherford glared at him.

“We’ll sort it all out at the station after we get you two checked out,” Ted said. “The parents are all giving us different accounts.”

“Ask the reporter. She was recording everything.” Rutherford sat tall in the chair, while Andrew hunched down.

“We’re looking for her,” Ted said.

Gwendolyn clutched onto the chief’s arm. “No one will tell me anything about my grandson.”

Chief Moore walked over to the counter. “I need these two checked out. Also, is there any way Conroy’s grandmother can go back with him? I’m sure he’s worried about her. It’ll do him a world of good to see her.”

“I’ll have someone check with the doctor.”

Two nurses helped Ted and the chief escort Rutherford and Andrew to examination rooms while a doctor shepherded Gwendolyn to her grandson. The moment Ted and the chief’s shadows disappeared, Karen rushed into the waiting room.

“Is Conroy okay?” Her gaze skittered from me to the area just beyond the nurse’s station.

“I don’t know. Gwendolyn just went back to see him. The police are looking for you. What the heck happened?” I asked.

Karen sank into a chair. “I contacted Whitney Rutherford to talk to her about some pictures I saw.”

“Taken at the Made With Love bonfire?”

Karen nodded, leaning her head against the wall. “Whitney and I agreed to meet at the high school parking lot. She said she had a Sunday practice.”

Highly unlikely the coach would schedule a practice on a day the Steelers were playing. “Let me guess, she didn’t come alone.”

“No. She didn’t come at all. It was a set-up. Her father and a host of parents were waiting for me.”

“How did Jasper get involved?”

Karen heaved out a sigh. “I invited him along. He was supposed to stay hidden in the car and only watch. When the fathers surrounded me, I panicked and yelled for him.”

“Are the other parents at the station?”

“I think so. Jasper pulled me out of the circle and told me to run. I did.” Karen swiped away the tears trickling down her cheeks. “I hid across the street at the shopping plaza and called 911. I should’ve stayed and helped him.”

“What you should’ve done was leave it to the police.” Ted stood in front of us.

“I was working on a story,” Karen said.

“Is Conroy going to be okay?” I asked.

“He’s being kept overnight for observation. He’ll be bruised and sore for a few days, but he’ll recover with no lasting injuries,” Ted said.

“That’s good.” I squeezed Karen’s hand. She looked devastated.

“I’m so sorry,” Karen said. “I didn’t think the parents would lose it like that.”

“Your story was putting their children’s futures in jeopardy. Some parents will do anything to protect them.” Ted knelt down in front of me and Karen. “I need you two to let the police handle the murder investigation.”

“From what I’m hearing,” I said, “there isn’t really an investigation. The only thing happening is Chad and Dawn’s names being dragged through the mud.”

“Dawn’s name is in the dirt because that’s where it belongs,” Karen said.

I jumped up, clenching my hands. “That’s not true.”

“Chad is...was a drug dealer. There’s no question about it.” Karen stretched out her legs. Dirt coated her jeans. “If you knew—”

Ted directed his barely contained fury onto Karen. “You’ve created enough problems tonight, Miss England. I don’t have the patience for any more of your so-called truths.”

“It was the truth,” Karen said meekly. “I am sorry about this. I didn’t think any of this would happen.”

“I’m sure you didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt,” Ted said. “Both of you need to stay out of this. You don’t know what your actions are going to cause.”

How did I get dragged into this? My mind replayed my afternoon. Oh yeah, that.

“Dawn is shifting the blame for the fire from herself to my cousin,” Karen said. “I can’t let that happen. Dawn told the investigator Felicity started a fire earlier that day and it must’ve reignited.”

“Well,” I said, ignoring Ted’s “remain silent” look, “Felicity did set a rack of scarves on fire at their store.”

The doors slid open, a cold blast of air accompanying a furious Felicity into the waiting room. She pointed a crooked finger at Karen. “I told you to knock it off. But no, you wouldn’t listen to me.”

“It’s good to know someone in your family has sense.” Ted stood, giving the space up to the fuming Felicity.

“Now you’ve given me no choice.” Felicity trembled from head to toe.

“I told you to stay at home,” Karen said.

“This has to stop.” Felicity braced her hands on the arms of the chair. Pain flickered across her face. “I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t think I had to…but it’s time.”

Karen touched her cousin’s arm. “Please. Don’t.”

Felicity took a wobbly step away from Karen. With her eyes locked on Ted, she moved forward, each step more controlled and firm. She held out her thin wrists. “I did it. I killed Chad Carr.”

“No!” Karen popped up from her chair like a jack in the box.

“We should finish this conversation at the station.” Ted placed a gentle hand on Felicity’s back and headed for the door.

Felicity spun around, holding out her wrists. “Handcuff me in front of everyone.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Ted said.

“Take it back, Felicity.” Karen stood in front of the doors, arms spread apart. “What will this do to your family?”

“Get out of the way,” Felicity said. “Don’t make me knock you over.”

“I’m helping you.”

“No, you’re helping yourself, Karen.” Felicity swatted at Ted. “You don’t believe me? Is that why you’re not cuffing me?”

“No. I just don’t want to get mobbed when I take you outside.”

The crowd in the emergency room parking lot had grown. Men, women, and a couple of teenagers peered inside, none daring to break through the barricade that consisted of Wayne and Wyatt Buford.

In the corner by the right side of the door, Gussie sat in a vinyl outdoor folding chair, aiming a hose at the crowd. Was she planning on using water from the fire hydrant or whatever liquid her boys had sucked out from plumbing and sewage jobs? The crowd must’ve wondered too because they stayed well back from the doors and Gussie.

“I expect you to write a darn good story about my arrest.” Felicity squared her shoulders, raising her chin in a defiant manner. “And it better be fair to the police. I want the town to know I’m ready to face the consequences for my actions. Take some pictures too.”

“I don’t think so.” Ted turned his back to Karen.

“I also want you to promise, Karen, that you’ll stay out of this.” Felicity pointed a trembling finger at her cousin. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” Karen took out her cell phone, tears rolling down her cheeks. Half-heartedly, she took a few snaps. “Faith, tell her this isn’t a good idea. Being arrested and charged for murder isn’t some game.”

No, it wasn’t. A confession was nearly impossible to take back once uttered.