Murder at the Big T Lodge: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery (12 page)

Jesse and the other
server, Zach, carried the dishes from the dining room into the kitchen and
began the chore of cleaning up after the evening meal. A few moments later
there was a knock on the kitchen door.

“I’ll get it,”
Cassie said to Wes who was in the pantry sitting at his desk working on the
menu for the following day.

She opened the
door and saw Emilio DeLuise standing there. “Cassie, would you do me a favor? I
have to make some calls to Italy, the difference in time changes you know, and
I’d really like to sip on a brandy while I’m making them. I want to take a
shower first, so would you please bring a brandy up to me in about half an
hour?”

“Of course.
I’d be happy to, Mr. DeLuise.”

Thirty minutes
later she walked into the pantry, and told Wes she was taking a brandy up to
Emilio DeLuise’s room, and she’d be back shortly. He nodded, not paying much
attention, completely absorbed in what he was doing.

Cassie carried
the brandy up the stairs and knocked on Emilio’s door. He quickly opened it,
took it from her, and thanked her for bringing it. She turned to walk back
downstairs when she thought she heard a woman in room ten say the word “Paul.”
She assumed it was Liz Langley as the names Roger and Liz Langley were posted
next to the door of their room. She bent down next to their door to give the
appearance she was looking for something on the floor in case someone happened
to question why she was there. She listened intently to the voice coming from
inside the room.

“Roger,” Liz
said, “the sheriff agreed to exhume the bodies of Paul Sowers and a woman named
Julia. I don’t remember her last name. Anyway, the sheriff and a medical
examiner from El Paso are going to Riley in the morning to conduct an
examination of their exhumed bodies. The sheriff decided to take this action
based on the test results that Sean obtained from the bottle of liquid I sent
him. I told you the analysis determined potassium cyanide had been added to the
liquid in the bottle that was next to Milt’s body. That, along with the
mortuary owner’s strong feeling that Paul and Julia might have been poisoned
several years ago, was enough for the sheriff to order that the bodies be
exhumed and tested for the presence of toxic chemical substances.

“It won’t tell
us who murdered Milt, but if it’s determined that Paul and Julia were also
poisoned, sure makes me think Cassie might have been involved. Plus, there was
the photo of the poster I showed you of Milt with the bullseye painted over his
heart. Is it a confession? No, but it sure seems to me like some law
enforcement officials might think there’s enough circumstantial evidence to
start an investigation. So, Roger, what do you think?”

Cassie didn’t
stay around to hear what Roger thought. Her heart was pounding wildly as she
stood up and raced down the stairs, her mind frantically searching for
something she could do before she was implicated or worse yet, arrested for
murder. She walked into the kitchen as Jessie and Zack were finishing up.
“Thanks, guys. Looks like you’re done. Have a good rest of the night. See you
in the morning.”

She walked
into the pantry where Wes had just finished with his menu preparations for the
following day. She glanced at him and said, “Chef, why don’t I come in a little
early tomorrow morning and make those chocolate chip bran muffins everyone
loves? You’ve been working so hard lately it will give you a little extra time
off in the morning.”

“That’s very
thoughtful of you, Cassie. I really appreciate it. I don’t think I’ve had a day
off in weeks and even a couple of extra hours will probably be enough to
re-energize me. I think that’s pretty much everything for tonight. You know
where all the ingredients are for the muffins. See you in the morning,” he
said, walking out the door and heading for his cabin.

Cassie opened
the laptop where the recipes were stored and pulled up the one for bran
muffins.
This is the perfect solution to the problem
, she thought. She
turned out the lights and walked to her car, convinced her plan would work.

“Happy hunting,” Liz said
to Roger the next morning as he prepared for the early duck hunt. “I’ll meet
you downstairs for breakfast when you get back.”

“What’s on
your agenda today?” he asked.

“Not much.
I’ll probably finish that book I started yesterday. Matter of fact, think I’ll
curl up here in bed for a few hours and do just that. Love you.” She turned on
the light above her side of the bed as Roger opened the door and left, ready
for his last day of hunting.

Two hours
later Liz decided to get dressed and get a cup of coffee from downstairs. She
remembered Jack telling the guests on the first night they arrived that a big
pot of coffee was always available in the kitchen after the guests left for the
duck hunt. She walked down the stairs and went to the kitchen, Sam by her side.
She knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened by Cassie. Sam let out a low
deep throated growl.

“Sam, no. Stop
that. Good morning, Cassie. What do I smell? It’s heavenly.”

“Oh, I’m
baking some chocolate chip bran muffins. They’ll be ready in about fifteen
minutes. I’ll bring one up to your room when they’re finished.”

“I can’t ask
you to do that. I’m sure you have a number of other things you need to do to
get ready for breakfast,” Liz said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“I insist,”
Cassie said. “It’s not a problem at all. One of the things we try to do here at
the lodge is give special service to our guests. I’ll see you in a little
while.”

Liz carefully
balanced her coffee cup so she wouldn’t spill any of its contents on the
carpeting on the stairs, which had been custom-made for the lodge and reflected
the greens, reds, browns, and greys that were predominant throughout the lodge.
She and Sam walked back to her suite, and she sat on the bed, legs
outstretched, reading her book and enjoying her coffee. Sam was on the braided
rug, his self-appointed bed, and was soon asleep.

Fifteen
minutes later there was a knock on the door. Sam raised his head and growled.
Liz shushed him and opened the door to a smiling Cassie. “I’ll put it on the
table over there,” Cassie said, walking into the room. The door swung shut
behind her, but without a firm hand closing it, it didn’t close completely.

“Please sit
down, Mrs. Langley. I’d like you to enjoy your bran muffin, because it’s the
last thing you’ll ever eat,” Cassie said as she turned around, a gun in her
hand.

“What are you
talking about?” Liz asked in astonishment, her eyes wide with fright at the
sight of the gun in Cassie’s hand.

A demonic look
came over Cassie’s face and she said, “Eat that muffin, or I’ll kill you like I
did the other three. You’re going to die a nice death from an overdose of
sleeping pills, but first you’re going to write a suicide note to your husband
telling him you’re sorry to ruin his trip. You’re going to write that you
couldn’t go on any longer, knowing you were living a lie. You’re going to tell
him you’ve been hearing a mysterious voice in your head and seeing things that
you don’t think are really there. In other words, he shouldn’t believe anything
you’ve said lately. Here’s the pen and paper. Now start writing, or I’ll shoot
you. I’ll dictate the words. Begin with Dear Roger.”

Neither one of
them noticed that Sam had left the room.

*****

When Wes walked into the
kitchen he smiled as he deeply inhaled the aroma of the freshly baked muffins.
He walked over to his desk and looked at the menu he’d written down the evening
before. He looked through the papers again, searching for the one that listed
the side dishes he was planning on serving along with the prime rib that was
the main course for tonight’s dinner. He couldn’t find it anywhere

Darn. I put
a bunch of stuff in the trash just before I left last night. Maybe I
accidentally threw it in there.
He walked over to the trash barrel and started pawing
through it, looking for the missing piece of paper. He noticed a pill bottle
and thought it was strange that a pill bottle would be in the trash barrel. He
and Cassie were the only ones who used this particular trash barrel. When Jesse
and Zach were hired they’d been instructed to take all of their trash out to
the big barrel next to the back door of the kitchen, so the one inside wouldn’t
fill up quite so quickly. He read the label on the bottle and felt his blood
run cold. Everything came together for him in a single crashing moment, and at
the same time he heard Sam growling at the kitchen door. He opened the door and
said, “Sam, come! I need you to take me to Liz and Cassie.” The big dog stood
there quivering.

Of course
Cassie wanted to make bran muffins this morning
, he thought as he reached into the
cabinet for the activated charcoal he kept on hand in case a guest
inadvertently ate or drank something poisonous.
The pill bottle was for sleeping
pills.
I’ll bet Cassie found out Liz discovered that Milt had been
murdered and decided to do away with her. I just hope I’m not too late.

“Sam, take me
to Liz!” he said firmly to the big dog as he grabbed a gun from his desk drawer
and stuck it in his pocket. Sam got behind him and nudged him, indicating he
was to go upstairs. Wes bounded up the steps two at a time. As they got close
to the Langley’s suite Sam began to growl again. Wes held his hand up,
indicating for Sam to be quiet. He noiselessly peeked through the slightly
opened door and saw Cassie with a gun in her hand standing over Liz, who looked
like she was asleep.

“Drop your
gun, Cassie, or I’ll shoot,” Wes shouted. Cassie instantly whirled around and
fired a wild shot that missed Wes and crashed into the door jamb. Wes’s shot at
Cassie was more accurate, hitting her hand, and causing her gun to drop to the
floor. He quickly picked it up.

“Sam, come!
Cassie get down on the floor on your stomach and put your hands out in front of
you. Sam, stand guard on Cassie.” The big dog put his two front paws on
Cassie’s back, effectively keeping her from moving. Wes was a big man and
although Liz was tall, he outweighed her by almost one hundred pounds. He
easily slung her over his shoulder and took her into the bathroom. He shoved
some activated charcoal down her throat and forced water down it as well, at
the same time praying.

A few minutes
later Liz began to gag and as she came to, he forced her head over the toilet.
Within moments she shook her head and he heard her say, “Enough. I’m okay.”

“Thank
heavens. Stay where you are for a few more minutes. I need to make sure Sam has
a handle on Cassie.”

He looked out
the door of the bathroom and saw that Sam was taking his job very seriously.
There was no way Cassie could move with the big dog on top of her.

“Wes, I’m all
right. How did you know to come up to my room?”

“I’ll tell you
all about it later. Didn’t you tell me the sheriff was going to oversee the job
of having the bodies of Paul and Julia dug up this morning and then tested by
the forensic medical examiner? Is he at the mortuary?”

“Yes, that’s
what I was told by Stanley.”

“Good. I’ll
call and tell him what’s happened. He can come out here and arrest Cassie for
attempted murder, and my guess would be for the murder of three more people,
namely Milt, Paul, and Julia. Do you have the number of the mortuary?”

“Yes. My cell
phone’s on the desk. It’s in the contacts list. Actually, I feel pretty shaky.
I don’t think I can stand up. Could you bring it to me?”

“Stay where
you are. I’ll get it and call him. I want to keep my gun on Cassie.”

Wes made the
call and in less than an hour the sheriff, one of his deputies, and Stanley
Gordon raced up the stairs and into Liz’s room. Wes had helped Liz into bed,
and she was resting. While the sheriff and his deputy quickly handcuffed
Cassie, led her down the stairs, and put her in the sheriff’s patrol car,
Stanley said, “I want to hear exactly what happened, but I’ll wait until the
sheriff returns, so you don’t have to tell your story twice. I guess you didn’t
have a chance to use the gun I gave you.”

“No, I got
blindsided, but it’s a good feeling to know I won’t have to use it. Thanks
again. It’s in my purse. Why don’t you take it with you?”

“I will, since
it looks like you won’t need it now.”

When the
sheriff and his deputy had secured Cassie in the back seat of their patrol car
and locked the door, the sheriff returned, leaving his deputy to guard Cassie.
He asked Liz and Wes what had happened.

“I went
downstairs to get a cup of coffee and smelled something wonderful,” Liz said.
“Cassie told me that fresh baked chocolate chip bran muffins would be ready in
about fifteen minutes, and she’d bring me one. I didn’t want to trouble her,
but she insisted. When I let her in my room she walked over to the table and
put the muffin on it. I didn’t see her take a gun from her pocket, but she must
have, because when she turned around she pointed it at me.

“Cassie told
me she’d shoot me, if I didn’t write a suicide note to Roger   indicating I was
more or less mentally unstable, which she dictated. I had no choice. She gave
me the muffin, told me to eat it, and then I’d be asleep for a long time.
Again, I had no choice, so I ate it. The next thing I remember is looking at the
toilet bowl with Wes holding on to me.”

Wes
interrupted and said, “So that’s how she got you to take the poison. Sheriff, I
found an empty sleeping pill bottle in the trash when I was looking for a piece
of paper I’d misplaced. Evidently Cassie put the sleeping pills in the muffin
mix. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he walked over to the door. “I have
no idea if the rest of the muffins had sleeping pills added to them, but I
better throw them out. Don’t think Jack would be very happy if all of the guests
went to sleep permanently after they’d eaten breakfast.”

“Liz, how are
you feeling now?” Stanley asked.

“Pretty shaky.
I think I’ll stay here for a little while. I know my husband and the rest of
the hunters will be returning soon for breakfast, but I really don’t feel up to
going down and meeting them.”

Wes hurried
back into the room. “Liz, I heard that. When Roger gets back I’ll have Jesse
assure him you’re all right and have him come right up to your room. Sheriff, I
really need to get down to the kitchen, so I can get breakfast ready. I’m
short-handed with Cassie gone. I’ll probably have Jesse help me cook and have
one of the guides take Jesse’s place as a server. If you need anything else
from me, I’ll be here the rest of the day.” He hurried out of the room.

“Liz, I’m
going to take these muffin crumbs as evidence,” the sheriff said. “They could
be crucial to Cassie’s case. As we speak, the bodies of Paul and Julia are
being tested for any traces of toxic chemical substances. If it turns out they were
poisoned, and from what I’ve seen today, I think there’s a very good chance
they were, the advice I’d give to Mrs. Sowers is to get a very good attorney,
because she’s going to need one.”

When the
sheriff and his deputy had taken Cassie down to the sheriff’s car, Sam had laid
down on the floor beside Liz’s bed, a barrier to anyone who wanted to get near
her. Stanley and the sheriff said their goodbyes over the big dog, and Liz
assured them she’d rest, and that she was sure she’d feel better in a little
while.

“Mrs. Langley,
one more thing,” the sheriff said. “We all owe you a big thanks for being
persistent, first in determining that Milt Huston was poisoned, and secondly
for persuading Stanley that the deaths of Paul and Julia needed to be
revisited. As sheriff, I have the authority to open those two cases up and also
to make the determination that Milt was murdered. I’m going to call his widow
and tell her we’re certain we’ve arrested the person who murdered him, and I’m
also going to tell her your role in all of this. Is that all right with you?”

“Yes, although
I’ve never met her, I strongly believe she deserves to have some closure
concerning the cause of her husband’s death. I can’t imagine anything worse
than wondering if your husband was murdered before you could even tell him you
were pregnant. That poor woman!”

“I’ll let you
know the test results as soon as the medical examiner finishes his work. Now
you need to rest. You deserve it and again, thanks!”

For the next
half hour Liz was deep in thought, thinking about everything that had happened
during the last few days. It seemed better suited to a movie script rather than
a famous hunting lodge in west Texas.

Liz felt her
strength slowly begin to return, and she decided to email Sean and tell him
what had happened. She began, “Sean, you’re never going to believe what you’re
about to read…”