Murder at the Big T Lodge: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery (8 page)

“Well,” Liz said as she closed the
door to their room behind her. “What did you think of dinner?”

“I would come here just
for the food. The steak was perfect, and I’ve never seen lumps of crab that
big. I was thinking you could make that salad for your guests. I never would
have thought to put cold thick broccoli cheddar cheese soup in a chilled half
of an avocado. What was that on top?” Roger asked as he unbuttoned his shirt.

“It tasted like salsa
verde. Gave it a nice little tang, and it was really pretty with the garnish of
scattered chives. Yes, I could definitely make that at the lodge. I’d give
anything if I could make a pie like that pecan pie. It was without a doubt the
best one I’ve ever had.”

“Come to think of it, I
can’t remember you ever serving one. Not your thing?”

“I’d like it to be my
thing, but pie crust has an aversion to my hands. I’ve tried every pie crust
recipe in the world, and I have yet to have one even resemble the pie crusts
other people seem to be able to make so easily. Mine taste okay, but I’m a firm
believer that ninety percent of the appeal of a dish is how it looks.”

“Liz, I don’t ask for
much, but if you could master that pie, I’d be a happy camper.”

“You’re right. You don’t
ask for much. I’ll talk to Chef Jackson tomorrow. Maybe he can give me some
tips. By any chance did you happen to hear any of my conversation with the man
sitting next to me, Mac Ward?”

“No, why?”

“Well, I think I’ve come
up with another suspect if it turns out Milt didn’t die from natural causes, if
you can call a rich tobacco grower from North Carolina a suspect.”

“Don’t think it matters
where someone is from or what they do for a living. Crime seems to cut through
all of it, although we do need to keep one thing in mind. We’re making a lot of
suppositions that Milt was murdered. So far we don’t have a shred of evidence
to support that claim.”

“That’s true, but I want
to be prepared just in case Sean gets back to me with an analysis from the lab
that indicates there was something in that bottle that caused Milt’s death.”

“Probably not a bad idea.
Now tell me what makes you suspicious of the tobacco grower.”

She told him about her
conversation with Mac Ward and how the more he talked, the angrier he seemed to
get. When she was finished Roger said, “When I had lunch with Milt last week,
he mentioned he was really taking a strong stand against smoking. He felt that
public sentiment would be with him during his campaign, since so many people
have either died from cancer caused by smoking or know someone who has cancer.
He also mentioned that years ago no one would have ever thought that smoking
would be banned in restaurants and bars and other public places, and now it is.
He felt it was a sign that the United States, and particularly California, was
ready to go to the next level, the $2.00 per pack cigarette tax.”

“Who knows, maybe Mac
thought he’d be doing the tobacco industry a favor by getting rid of Milt. Of
course that’s just a hypothetical thought of mine at the moment,” Liz said.

“You’re right sweetheart.
That is definitely just a hypothetical thought. So if Sean comes back with
something, then what? Let’s see, you’ve identified Mickey, Amanda, Emilio,
Cassie, and now Mac as possible suspects. If, and I repeat the word if, Sean’s
friend at the crime lab determines there was a substance in the juice that
resulted in Milt’s death, what do you intend to do about it?” he asked in a
teasing manner.

Liz stood at the window
and looked into the darkness as if searching for the answer. Finally, she
turned around and looked at Roger who had gotten into bed. “Roger, I honestly
don’t know. Go ahead and turn out the light. I’m going to send an email to
Sean. I’ll go in the other room, so I won’t disturb you. I’ll be in bed in a
few minutes.”

She sat down and composed
an email to Sean asking him to find out what he could about Mickey Roberts,
Amanda and Emilio DeLuise, Cassie Sowers, and Mac Ward. She wrote what she knew
about each of them and concluded the email by telling him she realized Milt
might very well have died from natural causes, but even so, she was still
curious about those people based on what she’d learned today. She thanked him
for helping her and told him that Roger said to bill the firm for his time and
charge it to Roger’s account.

Exhausted she closed her
laptop and got into bed, snuggling close to the warm sleeping body of her
husband.

The next morning Liz stayed in bed
while Roger went on his early morning duck hunt. When she heard the ATVs
return, she went downstairs to join Roger for breakfast. At the bottom of the
stairs Sam was wagging his tail and waiting for her. “Good morning, Sam.” His
whole body shook with happiness when he saw her. Roger saw Liz, walked over to
her, and gave her a friendly good morning kiss.

“Roger, I’m not sure I’ve
ever seen a dog this big be able to wiggle his entire body like Sam does. It’d
probably be great on YouTube.” Sam laid down at the entrance to the dining
room, one huge paw on top of the other, his large head resting on them, all the
while watching Liz.

“Good morning, Mr. and
Mrs. Langley. May I bring you some coffee?” Jesse asked as soon as they were
seated.

“Please, and as you might
remember, we both take it black. Thank you,” Roger said as he eyed the menu. “I
will probably really regret this, but I can’t pass up crème brulee French
toast. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had it before. I may not
pass this way again, and I’d really regret it if I didn’t try it. What are you
having, Liz?”

“Lemon soufflé pancakes
with fresh blueberry syrup. That sounds decadent and delicious, but don’t get
any ideas about me making them when we get back home. The way we’re eating,
we’re both going to have to do some serious dieting and exercising.”

“Speak for yourself,
woman, but I’m out there all day walking in the fields. I’m sure I’m burning up
more calories than I’m taking in,” Roger said.

“Uh-huh, you wish,” Liz
said. “Keep believing that until you get on the scale when we get home.
Actually, maybe we should hide the scale. Might be better for our psyches.”

A few minutes later Jesse
returned with their breakfast orders and served them. “I’m not big on people
taking pictures of their food before they eat, but this is one of the few times
I wish I’d brought my iPhone down with me, so I could discreetly capture this
moment. These are both simply beautiful,” Liz said, staring at the two plates
of food.

“I agree. I don’t know
what that chef gets paid, but whatever it is, he’s worth it.”

“Actually, in the
conversation I had with him yesterday, he led me to believe it was quite a bit,
but I agree, he’s definitely worth it. Wish I could afford to have him work for
me at the Red Cedar Lodge.”

“Well, since you can’t,
think you better get some recipes from him. This is every bit as good as it
looks,” he said after his first bite.

“Ditto,” Liz said.

*****

After Roger had left for the rest of
the day to hunt quail, Sam followed Liz up to her room. She called Milt’s home
number again, on one hand hoping to reach his widow, but on the other hand
wishing she wouldn’t answer the phone, so Liz wouldn’t have to deliver the
devastating news to her. This time a soft female voice with an Italian accent
answered the phone. “Hello,” she said.

Liz took a deep breath and
said, “May I speak with Mrs. Huston?”

“This is she,” the soft
voice said. “How may I help you?”

“Mrs. Huston, we’ve never
met. My name is Liz Langley. My husband went to law school with your husband,
and we are at the hunting lodge in Texas where your husband came.”

“I’m confused. I believe
my husband is still there,” the soft voice said. “Has something happened to
Milt?”

“I guess there’s no way to
tell you this but straight out. I am so sorry to be the one to have to tell you
that your husband died in his sleep night before last. There is no evidence of
foul play. I am so sorry. I called yesterday, but you were with your parents on
a trip, and I didn’t want to leave this message on your answering machine. Are
they still with you?”

There was a long pause for
several moments, and then Liz heard the sound of a primal scream followed by
hysterical sobbing. A man’s voice came on the phone and in a heavy Italian
accent asked, “Who is this, and what did you say to my daughter?”

“My name is Liz Langley. I
am so sorry. I’m at the hunting lodge where her husband came. He died in his
sleep the night before last. As I told your daughter, I tried to reach her
yesterday, but evidently you were all on a trip. I’m glad you’re there with
her.”

“Where is Milt?” the man
asked.

“His body was taken to the
Gordon Mortuary in Riley, Texas. It’s about sixty miles from the location of
the Big T Lodge where Milt was staying. The owner said he would personally see
to it that Milt’s body is flown back to Sacramento. He asked that Mrs. Huston
call the mortuary to work out the details. I put Milt’s personal effects in his
suitcase and delivered it and his attaché case to the mortuary. They’ll be sent
to you as well. Here’s the number of the mortuary. Again, I am so sorry.”

“I must leave this call. I
need to take care of my daughter. I can’t believe this. Milt was just about the
healthiest person I’ve ever known. This can’t be. What you don’t know is my
daughter just found out she’s pregnant. Milt not only left her, he left his
unborn child as well. She was going to call him tonight and tell him the
wonderful news. This is a tragedy. Goodbye.”

When the call ended, Liz
stared out the window, thinking of the cruel twist of fate that had ruined a
woman’s happiness. She wondered again if Milt’s death had been caused by
murder. She picked up a book she’d brought with her, hoping to lose herself in
the story until she heard from Sean.

If the liquid in the
bottle has nothing to do with Milt’s death, I’ll just have to accept it as one
of those cruel and horrible things that sometimes happens in life. However, if
there was something in it, and if Milt was murdered, I’m going to do everything
I can to find the murderer for the sake of that unborn child
, Liz vowed.

Liz thought it was rather ironic that
she’d decided to bring a murder mystery book with her, but after she started
reading it, she quickly became immersed in the fast-paced story line and before
she knew it, the morning had almost slipped away. She’d been subconsciously
waiting to hear the ping on her laptop computer which would let her know she’d
received an email and when she heard it, she hoped it would be from Sean. She
quickly stood up from the club chair she’d been sitting in and walked over to
look at her laptop which was on a nearby table.

She looked down at it and
saw there was an email from Sean. She sat down and began to read it. The email
from him was very long, and Liz had to read it several times to absorb what he
had written.

“Liz, if you decide to get
out of the lodge and spa business, you can always get a job with me working as
a private investigator. I had the bottle of juice analyzed, and your instincts
were absolutely right. The odor you smelled came from potassium cyanide, which
is known for its strong almond smell. It’s a deadly poison. That’s right. Milt
was definitely poisoned. I know you said that Milt put ground almonds in his
beet drink, but they wouldn’t smell that strong. I don’t know what you want to
do with this information, but I would suggest you talk to Roger. Remember, he’s
a very good criminal attorney, and unless the laws have changed in the last few
minutes, murder is definitely a crime, although they may play it a little
differently back there in Texas.

As to the cast of characters
you inquired about. Let me begin with Mickey Roberts. Since he’s a politician,
I found pages and pages of articles about him. I spent some time reading them,
and it boils down to this. He’s a very aggressive politician whose main goal in
life is to be elected governor of California. As far as scandals, there have
been a couple. He’s never been convicted of anything, but he’s skated on thin
ice a couple of times.

He was fined by the Fair
Political Practices Commission for money laundering. His laundering scheme
consisted of having a number of his wealthy donors contribute money to the Los
Angeles County Democratic Party. The money they contributed was earmarked by
both Roberts and the party to be spent by the party on his re-election
campaign. That’s strictly against the ethics code, however, he was only given a
slap on the wrist in the form of a $10,000 fine, which is peanuts to a
California Senator.

The second scandal
occurred when he was accused by an opponent of not living in the Senate district
he represents. This is a practice a lot of politicians use. They say they live
in the district, so they can establish residence in the district, but in
reality it’s just an address and is usually a small apartment or even an empty
house. In his case he rented a condominium which he didn’t live in, but claimed
it was his residence, however there were pictures of him going in and out of
the large house where he actually lives in Beverly Hills. His neighbors all
knew him and said that when he wasn’t in Sacramento, that’s where he lived.
Several articles I read hinted that he may have paid off someone, because the
problem went away. Maybe he paid off his opponent, but it became a non-issue in
his last campaign.

So in summary, here’s what
I found out about this guy. He plays hard and fast with the law, and it looks
to me like he thinks he’s above it. From everything I read, he’s politically
very aggressive and currently is very focused on becoming the next governor of
California. Do I think he’s capable of murder? If something or someone stood in
the way of his goal, I think there’s a good chance he could commit murder. How?
I don’t know. If all the guests had rooms in the lodge, it probably wouldn’t be
too hard to sneak into the room of another guest. Guess you’ll have to figure
that out, but be careful.”

Liz stood up and walked
over to the window and looked out at the lake, thinking about what she’d just
read. There was plenty more in Sean’s email about the other people she’d asked
Sean to investigate for her, but she needed a few moments to think about the
man named Mickey Roberts. If he was the one who murdered Milt, he certainly
would have known Milt was dead, and the conversation she’d overheard out in the
forest may have been a total lie. He might never have heard Jack say anything
about Milt’s death.

Several minutes later she
walked back to the table where her laptop was and sat down. She looked at the
screen and read “Liz, the only thing I could find out about the woman named
Cassie Sowers was that she lived in Riley, Texas, and had once been married.
Evidently her husband died. Sorry I can’t be much help to you about her. Maybe
there’s someone you could talk to in Riley that could help you.

Yes, Sean, there certainly
is someone I can talk to. Cindy Lou at the FedEx office would probably know
something about Cassie. She seems to know everyone who lives in these parts,
and if anyone knows something about Cassie, I’d bet it’s her. I’ll go there
this afternoon and see what I can find out. Now, back to his email.