Rose Pressey - Chase Charley 02 - Seems Like Old Crimes (14 page)

In my dream, a phone kept ringing. I tried to silence it, but it was no use. Finally, I woke up and realized that my phone was actually ringing. I groaned and picked up the phone from my nightstand.

“This had better be good,” I said when I glanced at the clock and saw that it was six a.m.

“I guess you’re not a morning person,” Dangerfield said.

“Not in the morning, no.” I lay back in the bed.

“Well, get up and dressed. We have somewhere to go,” he said.

“You can’t be serious,” I said.

“You’d better hurry because I will be there soon.”

“I am not going anywhere this early.” Silence filled the line. “Hello?”

Damn it. I tossed the phone on the bed and jumped up.  

I’d just pulled on a pair of jeans and a polo shirt when my doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes was all that it had taken him. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to put my shoes on yet. I opened the door and couldn’t believe how handsome Dangerfield looked this early in the morning.

“We’ll get you some coffee, I promise,” he said.

“Why are you here so early?”

“I think we should go to Haley’s home,” he said.

“Can I ask why?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Call it a feeling.”

After putting on my sneakers, I grabbed my purse. Dangerfield followed me out the door. “It’s been a while since we asked her more questions. Maybe she’s thinking a little clearer now.”

It had been a long time for him maybe, but not for me.

“I suppose you do have a point.” I locked the door behind me.

Just then, Mrs. Perkins stepped out of her apartment and grabbed the newspaper in front of her door. She looked over at me and Dangerfield. Her eyes narrowed as she eyed us up and down. She shook her head and walked back into her apartment. I knew she thought Dangerfield had spent the night. Dangerfield didn’t say anything, but instead opened the door for me. I walked out onto the sidewalk.

Flashes of last night came back to me. I couldn’t let the fear get the best of me though. We hopped into Dangerfield’s car and drove the short distance to Haley’s street. When we reached the house, I noticed a man walking across her lawn. I didn’t recognize the man, but then again, why would I? I was just glad I hadn’t been followed by the weirdo who’d tried to run me down.

Dangerfield pulled up to the curb and cut the engine. We watched the man in silence. He stepped onto her front porch and rang the doorbell.

“We should wait and see what he’s doing,” Dangerfield said.

I didn’t take my eyes off the man. Haley answered the door, but she tried to close it again right away. The man placed his foot in the door, stopping her.

“Uh-oh, looks like we have trouble.” Dangerfield gestured.

“What’s wrong?” I followed his gaze.

The man waved his hands and it looked like he was yelling, but I had no idea what he was saying.

“It looks like we should get involved in this,” Dangerfield said.

I opened the car door and jumped out. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Dangerfield ran across the lawn and jumped onto the porch, taking the steps in one giant leap. Haley’s eyes widened when she saw us.

The man hadn’t noticed us and only turned around when Dangerfield asked, “What’s going on here? Is everything all right, Mrs. Swanson?”

The man whipped around and glared at us. “Who are you?”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is you are harassing Mrs. Swanson and I think it’s time you leave,” Dangerfield said.

“Is that right?” The man stepped closer to Dangerfield.

This was taking a turn for the worse quickly.

The man gestured toward Haley. “She and her husband owe me money.”

Wow. There were a lot of claims of Tim owing money. Did this have anything to do with the bank ledger we’d found?

“This man is crazy,” Haley said.

Dangerfield stepped in between the man and Haley. “Why don’t you leave?”

The man glared at Dangerfield. I figured at any moment the man would push Dangerfield off the porch. The man looked at Haley again. She crossed her arms in front of her waist, but she looked as if she wasn’t about to back down. The man stepped off the porch. I let out a breath of relief.

He turned around though and my relief was short-lived. “This isn’t over.”

He finally walked away.

“I’m sorry about that,” Haley said. Dark circles lined her eyes and she looked as if she hadn’t slept in days.

“What was that all about?” Dangerfield asked.

“That guy’s name is Jeff. He wanted to borrow money from Tim, but Tim told him no. He wouldn’t take no for an answer though.”

“Wow, he sounds a little crazy. Why didn’t you tell us about him?” I asked.

“It sounds like he just moved up to the top of our suspects list,” Dangerfield said.

She brushed hair out of her eyes. “Like I said, I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

Jeff drove past. He glared at us from the car, but luckily he didn’t stop.

Haley released a deep breath. “I’m glad he’s gone. I’m just shocked that he left when you told him to go away.”

“I figured I would have a fight on my hands,” Dangerfield said.

“Like I said, I’m sorry,” Haley said.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said.

She looked from me to Dangerfield. “So why are you all here? This isn’t a random visit, is it?”

“As a matter of fact, it isn’t a random visit. We thought we’d talk to you because we thought maybe you’d remember something new,” I said.

“It looks like Jeff just did that for you,” Dangerfield said.  

“Thank you all for stopping by and getting rid of him,” she said.

Dangerfield nodded. “We’re glad we showed up when we did.”

“We’ll look into this guy more,” I said.

She nodded. “Thanks again for the help.”

“Call if you happen to think of anything else,” I said.

“I will,” she said.

I just hoped that she wasn’t forgetting about any other disgruntled employee or ex-friend. This case was taking too many twists and turns. I had no idea if the car incident last night was related.

We turned to leave and Haley closed her door. I heard the lock click. I hoped Jeff didn’t show back up after we left.

Dangerfield and I left her house. It was still early and as much as I wanted to take him up on his offer of lunch, I decided it was best if I went home and got a little more rest.

He walked me to my door. Before I could speak, he leaned down and kissed my lips. It knocked the wind right out of my lungs. I didn’t stop his kiss. In fact, I actually enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would.

Dangerfield said goodbye and that he would call me later. I hoped it wasn’t at six in the morning next time.

As I sat at my desk, I was lost in thought. I had a lot of questions. Why had Tim really been at Jack’s Jazz Club? I’d never gotten anyone to definitively answer that question. Marc had given me little information so far. I supposed the police thought it was none of my business to even ask. But I hadn’t liked the way they hadn’t taken Haley’s claims that she’d been targeted too seriously.

How would I find out more? I tapped my pen against the desk. Ruth shot me a nasty look. How could that small sound have bothered her? I ignored her and went back to my thoughts. I wondered what Dangerfield had found out, if anything. I’d told myself that I wouldn’t ask Marc for information or let him know I was snooping around, but it looked as if it was unavoidable. He was so close to the investigation, it would be a tragedy for me to ignore that. Surely he would understand.  

Would Marc give me the info? I picked up the phone, but then placed it back on my desk. I tapped my pen again and stared at the phone. If I didn’t call, I might never solve this case. What if something terrible happened to Haley and I could have helped her? Sure, the police were working the case, but another mind wouldn’t hurt. Maybe I’d get lucky and think of something that they’d overlooked. It could happen.

“Do you mind? I’m trying to work.” Ruth popped up over her cubicle and glared at me.

“Sorry,” I said.

I picked up the phone. This time I was really going to call Marc. And not just call, but ask questions. I wouldn’t back out this time. Marc picked up after a couple rings.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Marc said in his sexy tone.

“Thanks for taking my call,” I said.

“Of course I would take your call. I’m never too busy for you.”  

“I’m at work and I’ve been thinking about Tim Swanson,” I said in a hurry before I backed out.

“Uh-huh,” he said.

“Is there anything new?” I asked. “After all, I was the last person the man called. I’m kind of curious.”

Marc released a little chuckle. “Yes, I can see why you’d be curious.”

I could just picture Marc leaning back in his chair, maybe folding his muscular arms across his wide chest. He’d flash his gorgeous smile and look at me through those thick dark eyelashes.

“So what would you like to know?” he asked.

I hadn’t expected him to answer so easily and it caught me off guard a little. “What about any other unusual calls?” I asked.

“No, nothing unusual,” he said. 

“Great, lucky me. What about before that?”

“He talked with his sister and then his wife. That’s it. I’m sorry, Chase. The detectives have been working the case. There’s just not much to go on.”

“What about Mrs. Swanson? She says someone has been trying to kill her too. Are they taking that seriously now that her husband is dead?” I asked.

“Of course, but without anything to go on it’s hard to do anything. You understand, right?” he asked.

I sighed. “Yes, I suppose I do. Mrs. Swanson had reported that Tim’s sister Kristine Michaels thought someone was trying to kill her about a year ago. I’m just trying to figure out what happened to that. What did the police find out? Why had the case dropped? It seems kind of an odd thing if she thought someone might be trying to kill her.”

“Chase, I didn’t mention this before, but his sister thought someone tried to run her off the road. That was a year ago and she hasn’t reported anything since.”

It was odd that I had been almost hit with a car too. Was that why Marc hadn’t mentioned it?

“Don’t you think that is a little strange?” I asked.

“Yes, it is strange,” he said.

“Did the police ask her about this?”

“She didn’t have anything else to say about the matter.”

“That is even weirder.”

Maybe Haley had been right. Tim’s sister could have been doing it only for attention. The fact that her brother had been murdered and her sister-in-law thought someone was trying to kill her could be a strange coincidence. But I really didn’t believe in coincidences. Haley and her sister-in-law both thought someone was trying to kill them. There had to be a connection.

“So what do you think?” I asked.

Marc was silent for a moment. “To be honest, I think there is more to it than what his sister is saying.”

“What do you think is going on?”

“That’s something we have to find out.”

When he said we, did he mean me and him, or did he mean the police? The former sounded like a better idea to me.

“You’ll let me know if you find out anything?” he asked.

“How do you know I’m going to pursue this?” I asked.

“I think I’m beginning to know you,” he said in a teasing tone.

“I’ll make sure to let you know.”

When I glanced over, I spotted Oscar staring at me.

“Marc, thanks for answering my questions. I have to go.” I hoped he didn’t think I was rude for cutting the call too short.

Haley had told me about the trust fund. Would that have anything to do with the murder? How could it? It wasn’t like the murderer could get his hands on the money. I was sure the only one who would benefit from Tim’s death would be his wife. I knew she wouldn’t want her husband dead. She looked terrified at the thought that someone was trying to kill her too. And she had hired me to look into this. If she was behind this then why would she hire someone to figure out she had done it?

Too bad I was stuck at the office. I really needed to be out looking for some kind of lead. But by the way Oscar was glaring at me, I figured he was losing interest in me solving the case. I knew his enthusiasm wouldn’t last long. Probably because I hadn’t answered questions about the case on camera yet.

Any investigating I wanted to do involving the case would have to wait for tonight after work. That didn’t mean I couldn’t slip in a few calls here or there while I was at my desk. I glanced in Oscar’s direction again. He looked over and caught me. I looked away quickly.

I decided to give Haley another call. She picked up on the first ring.

“I thought I’d check in and see how you’re doing,” I said.

There was a lot of noise in the background. “I appreciate that you called,” she said. “I’m okay. I was hoping you had good news for me.”

“Well, not yet, but I am working on some new leads,” I said.

It sounded way better than it was, but maybe it would ease her worries.

“There was another question I needed to ask if you have a second,” I said.

“Yes, yes, of course, what is it?” she asked.

“I wondered if I could have information about the trust find, possibly a lawyer, if there was one helping with the trust?”

Haley paused. “Sure. His name is Herb Travis.”

“Great. Do you have his number?” I asked.

“Sure. Let me look it up.”

After she gave me his number, I said, “I’ll call you with any updates.”

“That would be great,” she said.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.

She seemed even more anxious than when she’d first picked up my call. “No, everything is fine. I’ll talk with you soon.” And with that she hung up.

Something seemed off about her voice, but there was nothing I could do about it at the moment. I dialed the number she’d given me for the lawyer and waited for someone to pick up.

“Travis, Von Braun, and Lawrence,” a woman said when she answered.

“May I speak with Mr. Travis?” I asked.

Ruth cut a glance at me. I turned my head so that she wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop.

“Who’s calling?” the woman asked.

“My name is Chase Charley with WDSO-TV,” I said.

“Oh, hold, please,” she said.

After a couple seconds, Mr. Travis picked up. Being the media usually got me through a lot faster.

“How may I help you?” he asked.

“I’m working on the Tim Swanson case.”

“I thought you said you were with the TV station.”

“Yes, I am. I’m an investigative reporter,” I said. 

“Oh, okay. What is your question then?”

“Mrs. Swanson hired me to work on the case. I just have a few questions about the trust.”

“I guess I can try to answer a few questions.”

“I know Tim and his sister have a trust fund. You probably can’t share much with me, but anything you can do would help a lot.”

“I’ll try my best,” he said.

“Who does the trust money go to now? After Tim’s death, I assume the money would go to his wife. Is that correct?” I asked.

“Yes, that is correct,” he said.

Just as I’d thought, it wouldn’t benefit anyone else. That put me right back where I had started. It all seemed straightforward. The things that involved Tim’s death and money were that Jeff and Anthony had wanted to borrow from him. Plus, Dangerfield and I had discovered the ledger. Apparently, that was only a few thousand dollars though. Now that I had Herb Travis on the phone, I wondered why I’d even thought to call in the first place.

“So there is no one else who would get the trust?” I asked again because I didn’t know what else to say.

“That’s right. Tim and Haley had no children.”

“What if something happens to Haley?” I asked.

“Then the money goes to Tim’s sister Kristine Michaels. I believe that was the way he had it set up in his will.”

Hmm. “Okay.”

“Is there anything else?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me,” I said.

“You’re welcome. Please let me know if I can help any other way,” he said. 

“There was just one other thing,” I said.

“Yes,” he said.

“You mentioned the sister would get the money. Does she have the same share of the trust as her brother?”

“Yes, it’s the same. Though she has asked for more recently. It’s just not set up that way though.”

The words caught in my throat for a moment. His sister had asked for more money and then Tim had been murdered. That would explain why someone might be trying to kill Haley too, so Tim’s sister would inherit. But surely, Tim’s sister wouldn’t try to kill him. Though I supposed things like that happened all the time.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” His voice snapped me back to attention.

“Um, no, thank you for the help,” I said and then hung up.

So the call wasn’t completely useless after all. Now I needed to know what to do with this information. I should call Haley and ask her what she thought about it. Had she suspected Tim’s sister? I wondered if Haley knew that his sister had been asking for money. That was definitely a motive for murder. I wondered if the police had discovered this info yet. If they had, Marc hadn’t mentioned it to me. But I didn’t expect that he would share that kind of tip.

Haley had said that Tim’s sister was in Gulf Shores. It looked as if it was time for me to take a trip. I would have to call Courtney. We could go after work. Although that would be a little late to take the trip. I wondered if Oscar would let me go early—I could tell him I had an important meeting. If he was still interested in me solving the case, then I could get away. If he was already over it, then I would be out of luck.

I straightened up my desk and made my way over to Oscar’s office. I never liked going in there, especially when I had started the meeting. I knocked on the door, and he looked up. He frowned and motioned for me to enter. I left the door open in case I needed to make a quick getaway.

“What is it, Charley?” he asked with a frown.

“I need to take off early. It’s for the Tim Swanson case.” I looked over my shoulder.

He released a deep breath. “Just don’t get in any trouble.”

I smiled. “I promise I won’t.”

“Yeah, right,” he said as he waved me out of his office.

As I stepped out of Oscar’s office, Ruth was standing by the door. She glared at me. “Why do you get to leave? You have a segment to get ready for.” She placed her hands on her hips.

“That’s not until Monday. I’ve already recorded everything I need.”

Why did I have to answer to her anyway? It was none of her business.

“Don’t
you
have a segment to tape?” I asked.

She stared for a moment and then stomped away. Like I said, I would never make her happy.

I draped my purse over my shoulder and headed out the door before Oscar changed his mind. As soon as I got out of the building though, the feeling came back. I knew that the creepy guy could be lurking around the corner. I needed to get home as soon as possible.

But instead of heading home, I decided to visit Courtney. Lucky for me, it wasn’t dark yet. At least I would see if this guy was following me. I rushed my steps and headed toward her shop.