Secrets of the Spiral Tower (2 page)

The crime scene detectives were well at work when Sheriff Gatlin approached Mrs. Bray and Connor.

“Mrs. Bray, I’m Sheriff Gatlin. I need to ask you a few questions. Could we go into your house?”

“Yes sir. I’ve got some fresh coffee if you want some.”

“That would be nice.”

“Connor, why don’t you just hang out here for a few minutes? I want to hear your side of this story as well.”

“Okay, sheriff.”

Standing inside Mrs. Bray’s house, sipping on a cup of coffee and listening to her ramble, Sheriff Gatlin watched Connor through a gap in the curtains of the big picture window.   He saw an uneasy look on Connor’s face as he watched the deputies process the scene.

Gatlin called one of his deputies on his cell phone.

“Go over and talk to Connor. Ask him a few routine questions. He seems awfully tense. I’ll be watching from inside Mrs. Bray’s house. She is a prime witness, but I think Connor is a prime suspect.”

“Roger, sheriff.”

In her sweet southern accent, Mrs. Bray asked, “Sheriff, would you like a piece of warm coconut crème pie?”

“Yes Ma’am. That would be very nice.”

Gatlin continued to watch Connor as Mrs. Bray returned with a large serving of pie on her finest china.

“Come sit at the table. You’ll be more comfortable.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bray, but I think I’ll stand by the window. It is such a lovely day outside. You know, I need to get one of my investigators over here with a recorder so you can tell us all you know about the activities around Willow’s house. Would you do that?”

Mrs. Bray, sensing an opportunity to be part of something big, said, “Oh, yes—just let me know what to do. I want to help.”

“All you have to do is just tell us everything you can remember about people and cars around Willow’s house for the last month or so.”

“Oh sheriff, I can’t remember as well as I used to, but I’ll do my best.”

“That will be good enough.”

As the deputy talked to Connor, Gatlin noticed how rigid Connor had become. His arms were folded tightly in a very defensive posture and his usual relaxed expression was replaced with a deep frown.

The deputy asked, “Are you okay?”

Connor took a deep breath. “I’m okay. Just a bit shaken up by all of this. What have you found? Do you know what happened here?”

“We don’t know yet, except that a violent struggle occurred. When were you last here? Were you and Willow an item in town?”

“I’ve known and worked for the McKenzie family most of my life; Rupert McKenzie treated me like a son.”

“Yeah, but my question is when were you last at this house?”

“Oh, it was three or four days ago.”

“Three days or four?”

“Why do you ask? Why is it so important that you know exactly when I was here? Do you think I’m guilty of something?”

“In an investigation such as this, it’s good police work to learn as much and as quickly as we can about the people Ms. McKenzie might have had contact with. And by the way, you never did answer my question as to your personal relationship with her.”

“She and I have dated on and off for many years.”

“Does this mean that you were romantically involved or just a close acquaintance?”

“You know …” Connor glanced at the deputy’s name tag.  “Deputy Austin, isn’t it?”

“Yes sir.” The answer was deadpan with unwavering eyes.

“The answer to your question is too personal for me to answer. I don’t see that as any of your business.”

“What about sexual relations with her? Did you ever have sex with Ms. McKenzie?”

“Wow! Now you’re
really
out of bounds! I have no intention of answering that question and as far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over.”

Gatlin watched the exchange between his deputy and Connor and realized that Austin had struck a nerve.  He thanked Mrs. Bray for her hospitality and added, “I must leave now, but I want to come back and talk later.”

“Sheriff, I look forward to that.  And why don’t you take some of this pie to your men out there?”

“Thank you very much, but no.  I appreciate that. They have work to do.”

Gatlin walked quickly across the lawn and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Sheriff, I think we need to take Mr. Connor down to your office. He has refused to answer my questions.”

“Have you read him his rights?”

“No Sir.”

“Well, do so right now. Then take him to my office.”

Deputy Austin read Connor his rights then asked him to turn around and place his hands behind him.

Connor was shocked.  “Am I being arrested?”

“Yep, that’s about the size of it.”

“Then I want to call my lawyer.”

Austin said, “Here, use my cell phone. Tell me the number and I’ll punch it in for you.”

“You’ll have to un-cuff me. I can’t talk with my hands behind me.”

“No problem, Mr. Connor. I’ll hold the phone to your ear.”

“Sheriff!” Connor yelled. “This is ridiculous. Tell your goon to un-cuff me so I can make the call.”

Gatlin motioned for Austin to release the cuffs. “Connor, don’t call my deputy a goon. Watch your mouth. Be respectful of the law. He’s doing his job.”

Connor made the call. After being handcuffed again, he was placed in the back seat of the deputy’s cruiser.  As they drove away, Connor sat motionless in the car.

Gatlin allowed himself a small moment of amusement at this sudden turn of events, and then turned his attention to the investigators.  “Fellows, let’s do a very thorough job here. Follow that blood trail and document everything in great detail.”

Directing specific attention to his chief investigator, Gatlin said: “Wilson, I want you to knock on every door from here to Warrenton Road and interview everybody that lives in these homes. I want to know everything that has happened in this neighborhood over the last 48 hours. Leave no stone unturned.”

“Yes Sir. I’m on it.” 

Seeing the rental car parked in the driveway, Gatlin asked, “Do we know anything about this car?  Who does it belong to? Be sure to dust it for finger prints.”

“Yes sir, sheriff.  I’ll take care of it.”

“Then I want it impounded.  Call the rental company and get what information you can.” 

Chapter
2

Willow Kingston McKenzie was the daughter of a self-made millionaire, Rupert McKenzie. Her mother, Winsome, a school teacher at Beechwood Elementary, instilled in her the discipline and drive to be a successful business person.  Rupert, the son of a riverboat deck hand, grew up on the Mississippi River. He worked as a deck hand, but with hard work and some breaks, he rose through the ranks to become an owner of six tow boats and a number of barges. His towing interests included shipping commodities such as corn, soybeans, cotton, and rice. He enjoyed all aspects of river shipping and transported millions of feet of logs to sawmills between Memphis and Baton Rouge. One mill, Memphis Hardwood Flooring, was the largest manufacturer of hardwood flooring in the world.

Rupert was also instrumental in designing a method of towing offshore deep water drill rigs to countries around the world. He was a futuristic thinker and a determined hard worker who loved solving complex water transportation problems. He loved his work dearly. But even more he loved his only child, Willow, though it was hard to make time for both her and McKenzie Towing.  His plan was for her to become a full partner in the towing business after finishing college. He wanted to leave the empire he had built in her hands someday.

Willow worked with Rupert and went on many river adventures, just as long as they didn’t interfere with her schooling. She learned the business and appeared to be headed in the direction her father had set.

Willow and Connor attended Beechwood Elementary school. Willow’s mother learned that Connor was a latch key child, having to stay alone for several hours until his parents came home from work. Winsome became very concerned for Connor’s safety. She asked his mother if Connor could stay at school with her and Willow and go home with them after school. Willow’s mother offered to take Connor home around six each day.

This arrangement worked fine and Connor seemed to like the adult attention he was getting from Rupert and Winsome. Rupert took to Connor and treated him like the son he never had. As they grew older, Willow and Connor became more than close friends. They were together constantly. Rupert took Connor on some of the river trips and Connor seemed well suited for the small jobs Rupert gave him.

During the summers, Connor became involved in the business and Rupert saw a couple he thought would one day inherit the company and produce grandchildren to carry on the river business for the next generation.

Connor grew up in a small family with only one older brother. His parents were middle class and both worked at various jobs to make ends meet, including a small farm on which they raised corn. They lived in a small but comfortable house on the southern end of the Mississippi Delta in the Long Lake community near Vicksburg.

Like the McKenzie family, Connor’s life was tied closely to the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. But his family’s relationship to the rivers was totally different from the experiences of the McKenzie family.  While the McKenzies enjoyed the prosperity associated with the river transportation business, Connor’s family fought spring floods each year. Connor’s home was built on pilings extending six feet above the ground. Frequently, during the early spring rises of the two mighty rivers, his house was completely surrounded by brown river water up to five feet deep.

With the water that high, Connor and his family parked their pickup about a mile away on the hill leading to Vicksburg and used a small fishing boat to travel back and forth to their house.

"Why don’t you move to higher ground and not face this problem each year?” Connor’s friends frequently asked.

His response was always the same. “We’re the third generation to live in this house and Daddy always says, ‘It goes down every year and fishing is wonderful. Where else in Warren County can you set a trotline from the corner of your balcony, around the trees, and back to the opposite end of your balcony and catch catfish?”

During those spring floods, Connor and Willow spent hours as teenagers boating along the flooded roadways and through the trees, fishing and having fun.

The growing bond between Connor and Willow was evident to everybody. On occasion they wore their swimming suits and swam along the roads. Connor’s mother cautioned them to be very careful of logs and snakes.

Connor wasn’t tied nearly as closely to the home site and vowed to buy a house on much higher ground when he was older. He had one in mind, up Highway 61 near Redwood.

Connor and Willow worked summers on the river for McKenzie Towing. Rupert recognized the strong ties that developed between the couple and offered to pay for Connor’s college education. The offer was accepted without hesitation. Willow enjoyed the social activities at college. She joined the most affluent sorority on campus and her cousin, Woody, likewise joined the premier fraternity on campus.

Connor, on the other hand, became more introverted as Willow spread her wings and became involved in campus politics. It was clear Willow and Connor had opposite career and life goals. After two years of college, Connor, not being a very serious student, returned to Vicksburg to work for Rupert full time.  Connor, standing a muscular 6-foot-two-inches tall with dark, slightly wavy hair, was a hard-charging individual in his own right. He became the son Rupert never had and continued to expand the McKenzie Towing business through the years.

Although Willow became quite capable of running her father’s business, she rejected the opportunity and began a career far from the Mississippi River, leaving Connor and her father to carry on the towing business.

The determined work ethic that made her father so successful also ran through Willow’s veins. After graduating from Mississippi State University with a degree in advertising, she accepted an internship with an ad agency in New York City. She furthered her formal education by completing her master’s degree and doctorate at New York State University.

Willow’s meteoric climb to a senior position in a world-renowned advertising firm, dominated by men in three-piece dark blue suits, angered many longer tenured employees whom she passed along the way.

Because of her outgoing personality and skill, Willow had many opportunities to meet with senior executives in a wide range of businesses. She became a high roller and was able to hold her own in any negotiation.

Her desire to excel was second only to her strong work ethic. Willow was offered and accepted many higher paying positions; she was determined to climb the corporate ladder. But she wanted to be the boss. She didn’t want to work for someone else. She wanted all people to work for her. Her goal was to occupy the “corner office” on the top floor.

Willow’s physical beauty complemented her mental acumen.  Her blonde hair extended about six inches below her shoulders, and she carried about 120 pounds on her slender five-foot-six-inch frame. In a black evening gown or black pants suit, she was a knockout. No movie actress was any prettier.

When meeting with executives, Willow’s physical beauty and command of the facts were enough to persuade men to agree with her side of an issue. When meeting with female executives, she dressed more conservatively and relied more heavily on her knowledge of the facts to accomplish the task.